WALC

Patients and Tarceva®

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has announced that Erlotinib (Tarceva®) is to be made available to patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who have previously had chemotherapy.

The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation welcomes this decision for Scotland as it offers new hope to patients with advanced disease as presently they have few treatment choices available to them.

However the Foundation is aware of many patients in England and Wales whose cancer specialists feel they would benefit from this drug but who are unable to receive it as NICE is yet to make a decision. This NICE process is scheduled to be completed by the end of December 2006.

We eagerly await a positive decision however we share the frustration of patients in England and Wales who do not have time to wait. The NICE process in general needs to be much speedier. This would then stop the so called “postcode prescribing” between England / Wales and Scotland and ensure equitable access to new treatments across the United Kingdom.

We would encourage all patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer to ask their cancer specialists if treatment with new therapies such as Tarceva® would be suitable for them.

For patients who are then denied access despite their doctor’s clinical opinion we would then advise them to:

1. Request that their cancer specialist writes to the Hospital Chief Executive and local Primary Care Trust requesting funding
2. Contact their local Patient Liaison Officer for advise & support at a local level
3. Consider seeking second opinion letters from other lung cancer experts backing up the original clinical decision
4. Contact their local MP to write / meet with hospital Chief Executive on their behalf
5. Consider contacting local media through Susan Christie, The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, Patient Involvement Co-ordinator
6. Consider contacting a lawyer who could help with any legal advice In advance of the NICE investigation of Tarceva® we would like to hear of anyone’s experience whether have received Tarceva® or are having difficulty in doing so. This will help The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation greatly in its submission to NICE

If you feel the need to talk this through with someone please call our Helpline 0800 358 7200 during office hours.