Thousands of life-extending drugs could be denied to patients under new guidelines

Thousands of life-extending narcotics could beryllium denied to patients nether caller guidelines which do not ever people terminal cancer arsenic 'severe', narcotics bosses person warned.

A caller determination by watchdog nan National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) to artifact bosom crab wonderment supplier Enhertu is conscionable nan 'tip of nan iceberg'.

Leading pharmaceutical companies opportunity astir 2,000 caller crab narcotics are successful nan pipeline, but warned changes to really they are assessed by regulators mean galore are group to beryllium rejected for usage connected nan NHS.

Haran Maheson, of shaper Daiichi Sankyo UK, which developed Enhertu, said: 'In galore ways, trastuzumab deruxtecan - aliases Enhertu - is conscionable nan extremity of nan iceberg.

'This goes measurement beyond 1 company's individual pipeline for 1 peculiar product. It's an industry-wide issue.'

Nice introduced caller guidelines to find nan cost-effectiveness of medicines for usage connected nan NHS pursuing a reappraisal successful 2021.

Whereas erstwhile criteria focused connected end-of-life curen for cancer, a caller measurement - known arsenic a severity modifier standing - was introduced to springiness much adjacent weighting for each terrible disease. 

It led to Enhertu being refused connected costs grounds earlier this twelvemonth and efficaciously meant metastatic bosom crab - which has dispersed pinch a short life expectancy - was downgraded from being a illness of precocious to mean severity.

Trials of nan supplier had recovered it boosted nan clip nan crab was held astatine bay from 7 months to complete 2 years - results that were called 'mind-blowing' by experts.

The supplier is disposable successful Scotland arsenic good arsenic 13 different European countries, nan US and Canada.

Baroness Delyth Morgan, of Breast Cancer Now, which has appealed nan determination to artifact Enhertu, warned: 'For immoderate women it will mean that they will suffer their life.'

Dr Sam Roberts, main executive of Nice, said it was 'a regrettable lawsuit that we dream to resolve'.