According to a media release issued today by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the UK, the institute’s advisory board will not recommend “routine” use of cabazitaxel for the treatment of metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).
It is clear from the media release that NICE decided that the price for treatment with cabazitaxel (also known as Jevtana) did not, in its opinion, justify the potential benefits when the risk of complications and side effects of treatment were taken into acount.
What is not clear from this media release is what NICE is implying as being “non-routine” use, but they may be implying use of the drug in ongoing or future clinical trials.
Filed under: Living with Prostate Cancer, Management, Treatment | Tagged: cabazitaxel, NICE, UK |
THE "NEW" PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK 
I have been using this drug for about 9 months; during that time my PSA has gone from about 25 to about 2.
When I started it was the about the last choice approved by FDA other than the somewhat dubious Provenge and it seems pretty clear to me, with a doubling time of about 23 days, that I would be in real trouble without it. The side effects started off pretty mild but they have become pretty harsh over time, but the alternative would have been pretty harsh too. I pray that no one will discount this drug because NICE has made this rather callous decision.