Mon, 20/06/2022 - 16:13
Today it has been announced that Bevacizumab (Avastin®) has been approved for use in Wales. This is a huge win for campaigners and patients, as Wales has previously been the only UK country not offering the potentially life-prolonging drug.
Bevacizumab is a targeted drug treatment for advanced cervical cancer, given alongside chemotherapy for metastatic or recurrent cervical cancer. It has been shown to increase the median survival of cervical cancer patients by 3.7 months, with only a small impact on quality of life. This gives those with a non-curative diagnosis the opportunity to spend vital extra time with family and loved ones, improving their end of life. It is currently the only targeted medication used to help treat advanced and late-stage cervical cancers in the UK.
Jo’s have been calling for Avastin to be available since it became licensed for use in the UK.
Samantha Dixon, Chief Executive, Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust: “Being denied extra time at the end of life is not acceptable and we are delighted to see the end of the postcode lottery access to this important drug. Avastin can provide invaluable time for many with advanced cervical cancer and for women in Wales this is a significant achievement.”
Avastin was added to the Cancer Drugs Fund in England in 2014 for recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer and has been available in Scotland or Northern Ireland, for several years.
Previously you could not access Avastin in Wales. In 2017, when it was last appraised by the All-Wales Medicines Strategy Group, it was denied for routine use. Clinicians had the option to make an Individual Patient Funding Request to the health board, on the patient's behalf, however we sadly heard of cases where these were denied.
This includes Kelly Maybury, who died in 2017, after her consultant’s request was declined and Joanna who would have been able to access the drug if she had lived just half a mile away.
Today’s decision means Avastin is now available for restricted use within NHS Wales in combination with paclitaxel and cisplatin for the treatment of adult patients with persistent, recurrent, or metastatic carcinoma of the cervix.
An average of 166 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer in Wales in 2016-18. If caught early, cervical cancer can be very treatable, however many treatments bring long term and often life-changing consequences including bowel/bladder damage, mental health impact, infertility, and lymphoedema. For those with an incurable diagnosis, few palliative treatments exist and so opportunities to extend life are limited.
Alice lives in England and is in her early 30s: “I’ve had the chemo twice now but only had Avastin the first time., My tumour shrunk drastically, from 7cm to just under 3cm which allowed me an operation which I feel is one of the main reasons I’m here today. The second time I had the chemo (without the Avastin) my tumour only remained stable, which I was still happy with but nowhere near the same result as when Aavastin was used. This is why I think it should be available to everybody, it’s saved my life and it could definitely save others.”
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