Published 23 June 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b2530
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b2530

Letters

Paying for expensive medicines

Oncologists and top-ups

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Oncologists believe that their patients would benefit from licensed drugs that either are not yet the subject of guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), or not approved by NICE.1 Analysis of requests for discretionary payments for off-label treatment for Bupa (British United Provident Association) members with malignant disease also shows that they believe their patients would benefit from off-label chemotherapy and biological treatment.

In the 12 months to 31 August 2008, 162 different off-label regimens were assessed for discretionary payment using an algorithm similar to that published for interventional procedures.2 Seventeen were for unlicensed drugs. Of the remaining 145 for licensed agents, 75 were for malignancies not specified on the licence, 42 for unlicensed combinations with other pharmaceutical agents, 25 for a different line of treatment, and three for a different stage of disease.

Bevacizumab featured in 48 requests: 16 for cancers for which it . . . [Full text of this article]

Virginia J Warren, public health physician1

1 Bupa House, London WC1A 2BA

warrenv@bupa.com


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International experience of paying for expensive medicines
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