This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Nab-paclitaxel available for pancreatic cancer patients
NICE has recommended nab-paclitaxel for routine NHS use after the company agreed a price discount and provided more evidence on its effectiveness.
Nab-paclitaxel, also known as Abraxane, will be routinely available as option for patients with pancreatic cancer that has progressed.
When nab-paclitaxel is added to a standard chemotherapy, called gemcibatine, it has been found to extend life by an average of 2.4 months.
If other combination chemotherapy treatments are unsuitable for a patient, NICE recommends offering nab-paclitaxelm made by Celgene, instead of this standard chemotherapy on its own.
The treatment works by blocking the action of the proteins within cancer cells that cause them to grow and divide.
NICE has reviewed its guidance from 2015 which did not recommend the treatment for routine NHS use for not being cost-effective.
Carole Longson, director of the centre for health technology evaluation at NICE, said: “The life expectancy of pancreatic cancer is poor, with patients usually living for only up to six months. It’s incredibly important that patients and families affected by this disease are able to have routine access to this life extending treatment.”
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