The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 277 No 7428 p626
25 November 2006

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Oncology drugs accepted by SMC

The Scottish Medicines Consortium has this week approved fludarabine phosphate (Fludara) and anastrozole (Arimidex) for use within NHS Scotland. Fludarabine phosphate is accepted for the treatment of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. First-line treatment with fludarabine phosphate should only be initiated in patients with advanced disease where the patient has disease-related symptoms or evidence of progressive disease, the SMC stipulates.

Anastrozole is accepted for use within NHS Scotland for the adjuvant treatment of early breast cancer in hormone-receptor-positive postmenopausal women who have had two to three years of adjuvant tamoxifen. “Trials have demonstrated that switching to anastrozole after two years of tamoxifen resulted in a 3.1 per cent increase in event-free survival at three years follow-up,” the SMC says.

The SMC has also accepted rituximab (MabThera) for use in combination with methotrexate for treatment of adult patients with severe active rheumatoid arthritis who have had an inadequate response or intolerance to other antirheumatic drugs.

Following an abbreviated submission, the new Kaletra tablets formulation — containing lopinavir 200mg and ritonavir 50mg per tablet — has been accepted by the SMC for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults and children above the age of two years, in combination with other antiretroviral agents.

The SMC has rejected sorafenib (Nexavar) for use in Scotland for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma; the consortium says that the economic case has not been demonstrated.