HOPES have been raised that North-East lung cancer patients will soon be able to benefit from an expensive new drug.

Yesterday, drug watchdog Nice (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) agreed to take another look at its provisional guidance on a new lung cancer drug called Tarceva.

Until now, the watchdog has advised the NHS that the drug is not cost effective enough to prescribe - even though it has been backed by the Scottish equivalent of Nice and is available north of the border.

But after new evidence was submitted by drug company Roche - the makers of Tarceva - Nice has agreed to reassess the drug's cost-effectiveness.

Roche is so confident that Nice will ultimately recommend that Tarceva should be funded by the NHS that it has announced it is reducing the cost of the drug so it will be the same as the current alternative, Docetaxal.

A spokesman for Roche said this meant that a month's worth of Tarceva treatment would now cost about £1,200, instead of more than £1,600.

"This should remove barriers to obtaining Tarceva. Any patient who is trying to get Tarceva on the NHS should be at the end of their campaign today," the spokesman added.

Dave Hill, 45, from Darlington, is hoping his NHS consultant can persuade his local primary care trust (PCT) to pay for Tarceva.

After his cancer spread to both lungs, his consultant said Tarceva was his only realistic remaining option.

While the drug is not a cure, there is considerable evidence that it can extend people's lives and improvetheir quality of life.

Last Friday, Mr Hill went to the independent Nuffield Hospital, in Jesmond, Newcastle, as part of efforts to get Tarceva prescribed privately.

Commenting on the latest developments on Tarceva, Mr Hill said: "It is definitely good news that Nice is going to look at this again and the price cut should make a difference."

Mr Hill, a father-of-four and stepfather of three, said he was hopeful that his application to his local PCT would mean he could start on a course of treatment with Tarceva "sooner rather than later."

Last night, a spokeswoman for the North of England Cancer Drug Approvals Group, which advises North-East PCTS, said: "The network will look at this again at the next meeting in November.