Which ones have the NHS blocked? (Credit: Getty)

Breast cancer drug Kadcyla has become the most recent example of drugs deemed ‘too expensive’ for the NHS to ‘routinely offer’ patients.

It can extend the lives of women in the advanced stages of the disease by six months on average.

Yet at £90,000 per patient (though discussions are still ongoing about price), it is more than the extension of life is worth, it believes.

That said, some women will still have access to the drug through the government’s Cancer Drugs Fund, set up to help fund the less widespread treatments for special cases.


But it’s not the only life-saving drug we are unable to get our hands on. Here are four drugs seen as useful by many that have been removed from the mainstream NHS drug lists due to costs.



1) Jevtana to treat prostate cancer

Described as a ‘last ditch’ drug for those with prostate cancer, Jevtana, called cabazitaxel without the brand name, can give men in the advanced stages of the disease an extra three months of extra life (though some reports say men have lived for up to three years longer).

This year though it was axed from the NHS approved list due to lack of cost effectiveness, in a move that some doctors described as a ‘travesty’.

It costs around £22,000 for a one-off treatment.

2) Avastin to treat cervical, bowel and breast cancers

And that’s just three of the major cancers it treats. Cancer Research UK says it is also used to treat lung, kidney and ovarian cancer.

It works by preventing the production of the the major proteins that are vital for the growth of blood vessels that feed cancer cells.

It was one of the 25 cancer drugs cut by the NHS this year due to expense as it was costing the UK around £21,000 per patient.

Some drugs the NHS have blocked from becoming available in the first place (Photo: Pixabay)

3) Sofosbuvir to treat hepatitis C

Around 214,000 people in the UK are chronically infected, it is estimated.

NICE, which produces health guidelines for the government, says that anybody prescribed it by a doctor should be given access from the NHS, assuming they haven’t been treated before.

Sofosbuvir, in conjunction with related drugs, seems to offer a highly effective breakthrough for them,

Widespread release of this drug however has been limited due to costs. Firstly in January, it was delayed from end of April until end of July since, as the the NHS were faced with a bill of £35,000 per person.

Then in September it was criticised by 14 health organisations and doctors for ‘severely limiting’ the introduction of the drug.

4) Translarna to treat muscle dystrophy

Duchenne dystrophy is a rare muscle-wasting disease caused by mutations in a person’s DNA. They prevent them from producing the dystrophin protein essential to muscle structure.

Translarna has seen in clinical trials to slow the progression of the disease (though not halt the decline altogether).

The Duchenne community though have had a long battle with the NHS over its release, as it’s been delayed by both the NHS and NICE to seek ‘further consultation’.

In October, NICE’s draft guidance said it would need further evidence from PTC Therapeutics while questioning the proposed cost of treatment.