Wales leads the way as cancer drug’s approved

Jan 21 2008 by Madeleine Brindley, Western Mail

A NEW drug for patients with a form of leukaemia has been approved for use in Wales.

The All Wales Medicines Strategy Group has said Sprycel – also known as dasatinib – should be used in the treatment of adults with chronic or accelerated phase chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), if they are resistant to another drug.

About 15% of patients with leukaemia have CML – about 2,600 people in the UK – most are diagnosed when they are in the chronic phase of the disease.

Dr Saad Al-Ismail, lead consultant haematologist, at Singleton Hospital, Swansea, said, “This is excellent news for the people in Wales living with CML, and for those new patients diagnosed every year.

“The decision means that dasatinib, an effective treatment for CML, is now readily available for those chronic and accelerated phase patients who become resistant or intolerant to imatinib.”

The Welsh guidance goes further than the Scottish Medicines Consortium. Tony Gavin, of patient group Leukaemia CARE, said, “This decision is great news for Welsh patients and follows the recent positive Scottish decision.

“However, we now have a situation where unrestricted access to dasatinib is possible for suitable patients in Wales and Scotland, albeit perhaps in different disease phases, while similar patients in other parts of the UK may be still be denied this treatment. “