Professor John Toy, Cancer Research UK’s medical director, said: "This announcement is very good news because it means that more patients who are diagnosed with glioma should benefit from temozolomide. However, it’s completely unacceptable that NICE has taken well over two years to finally arrive at this decision.
 
“Research on temozolomide suggests that it improves the two year survival rate for patients by 16 per cent. We can’t say how many lives have been cut shorter in the time it has taken NICE to approve the use of temozolomide but we hope this recommendation will be implemented as quickly as possible by the NHS to give more patients potential benefit from the drug."
 
Notes
 
Temozolomide was first developed by a Cancer Research UK funded scientist, Professor Malcolm Stevens, then at the University of Aston, Birmingham. It was taken into Phase 1 and early Phase II trials by Cancer Research UK, when activity in glioma and melanoma was identified. Based on this promising data, it was licensed by Cancer Research UK’s technology transfer arm, Cancer Research Technology, to Schering Plough who undertook pivotal Phase III studies. Temozolomide is a good example of the achievements of the enormous investment in cancer research in the UK. The use of temozolomide in combination with radiotherapy has received worldwide acclaim as the gold standard for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme.

(12/4/07)