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Drug previously available only through Cancer Drugs Fund is approved for NHS use

BMJ 2016; 354 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i3800 (Published 08 July 2016) Cite this as: BMJ 2016;354:i3800
  1. Nigel Hawkes
  1. London

A cancer drug originally rejected for use in the NHS and available only through the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) has now gained approval because of an undisclosed price cut by the manufacturers. This is the first drug to go through the reappraisal process for drugs paid for by the fund.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended bosutinib (Bosulif) for treating myeloid leukaemia despite finding that at list price (£44 799 (€52 000; $58 000) per patient per year) the cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY) would be around £45 000—outside its normal approval range.

A discount agreed by the manufacturer, Pfizer, …

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