Drug Trial: Kidney Cancer Patients Treated for Free
Pharmaceutical International has learnt how a certain group of patients with kidner cancer, unable to receive a drug, could instead benefit from free treatment. The move is a component of a study currently underway in Manchester, UK.
In this way, the group in question will be provided with Sutent – a drug known to have extended life expectancy in some kidney cancer patients. Said provision comes courtesy of Oxford Biomedica, and the trial will be undertaken at the Manchester-based Christie Hospital.
Oxford Biomedica manufactures TroVax, which the study will assess in tandem with Sutent in order to establish how the two interact. The ultimate aim is to discover whether TroVax can build on the benefits already associated with Sutent.
Commenting on the trial, the hospital’s Professor Bob Hawkins stated: “We would like [Sutent] to be available for every patient. We would still encourage patients to go into the trials of new treatments because that's the only way we're going to make progress on drugs like Sutent. We would say Sutent is probably the drug for most patients with kidney cancer. It isn't by any means perfect and we'd like to improve on it."
Neither Sutent nor TroVax can cure kidney cancer. However, they can delay the development of tumours, thereby helping patients to live for longer than they otherwise would. Sutent itself was licenced for use on the NHS in 2006. While approval from NICE (the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) remains outstanding, a limited number of PCTs (Primary Care Trusts) have provided funding for the drug; its cost - £3,000/month approx.
Looking to the future, Oxford BioMedica spokesman Nick Woolf stated: “We now have four centres open for recruitment in the UK, Leeds, Manchester, Middlesbrough and Middlesex, and another four are likely to open in the next few weeks. We hope that by making Sutent available to patients as part of the trial this will help to accelerate recruitment in the UK."
Among the UK’s kidney cancer community, very small numbers of people have taken the decision to fund a course of Sutent themselves. One of these was Tony Wilson, the high-profile music industry figure, who recently passed away.
Approximately 3,600 people in the UK die each year as a result of kidney cancer. The number of diagnosed cases currently stands at close to 6,700 per annum.
Pharmaceutical International’s Regional Correspondent
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