Almost 100,000 patients have now benefited from an NHS scheme offering rapid access to life-saving cancer drugs.
The health service will reach a major milestone in April when the 100,000th patent will receive medicines as a result of the Cancer Medicines Fund.
It offers faster access to more than 100 medicines, covering more than 250 permitted reasons for use, that help improve, prolong or save lives.
The CDF, which opened in its current form in July 2016, gives patients access to new medicines before they are authorized for routine use in the NHS.
Officials use the process to gather more data on the cost-effectiveness of treatments so they can decide whether to fund them through normal channels or stop providing them.
Earlier this month, the new immunotherapy dostarlimab was one of the last drugs fast-tracked through the CDF, offering hundreds of women with advanced endometrial cancer hope for significant additional time before their disease progresses.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director for NHS England (pictured), said the plan was a “milestone”.
Yuvan Thakkar, 16, from Watford (centre), was the first child in the UK to benefit from a pioneering CAR T therapy called Kymriah, thanks to CDF.
NHS England says the fund benefits people with common cancers, such as breast, lung, colorectal and prostate, as well as those with less common cancers, such as ovarian, cervical, kidney, skin, myeloma, lymphoma and leukaemia, and rare cancers. . including thyroid and bile ducts.
This means they can access new medicines almost six months faster than before.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director for NHS England, said: “Treating 100,000 cancer patients in England with innovative treatments through the Cancer Medicines Fund is a fantastic milestone for the health service to achieve and a testament to the hard work of oncologists and their teams across the country.
‘This Vital Fund is helping to ensure that patients get access to the most promising medicines much faster than they would otherwise, helping people with cancer receive a life-changing intervention that sets the path to a better life. longer and healthier with family and friends. ‘
Since its inception in 2016, 58 innovative treatments have been funded at the CDF, while more evidence has been collected on their long-term benefits.
Thirty-three treatments have since been re-evaluated, and 28 are now routinely available on the NHS.
John Stewart, national director of specialist commissioning for NHS England, said: “This huge milestone demonstrates the incredible progress the Cancer Medicines Fund has made to date for patients, providing earlier access to innovative cancer treatments. and profitable.
“Today’s historic figure is a significant achievement and underlines that over the past eight years, including some of the most challenging times in the history of the health service, NHS staff have always embraced innovative and exciting medicines to deliver to their patients the best care and treatment.’
Yuvan Thakkar, 16, from Watford, was the first child in the UK to benefit from a pioneering CAR T therapy called Kymriah, thanks to CDF.
The experimental drug, called ceralasertib, is designed to prevent tumor cells from repairing themselves, causing them to die (file image)
NHS England says the fund benefits people with common cancers such as breast, lung, colorectal and prostate (file image)
He received the treatment, which modifies a person’s immune cells to recognize and attack cancer cells, in early 2019 at Great Ormond Street Hospital when he was 11 years old.
He had relapsed after other treatments, including chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. He is now preparing for his GCSEs this summer.
Yuvan said: ‘My life has changed a lot since I received CAR T therapy.
‘I remember having to make many trips to the hospital and going for long periods without going to school.
‘I am extremely grateful to GOSH for providing me with such incredible medical care during my stay.
‘They have helped me recover to a state where I can enjoy many things I love to do, such as playing snooker or snooker, meeting friends and family and having a wonderful holiday.
“It’s hard to imagine what things would have been like if the treatment hadn’t been available.”
Yuvan’s mother, Sapna Thakkar, 45, said that without the FDC, there may have been no other way for him to receive the life-saving treatment.
She said: “Having the funds to treat people like Yuvan, who really need it, is literally a lifesaver.”