A BREAKTHROUGH drug for advanced skin cancer tested in the North-East could be denied to NHS patients.

Patients in the North-East were among the first in the world to benefit from the first drug in 30 years to extend the lives of patients suffering from a deadly form of advanced skin cancer.

But, despite being given a European licence this summer, the drug Yervoy, also known as ipilimumab, may not become available to NHS patients.

This is because the medicines watchdog the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has indicated it may not approve the drug for use on the NHS.

While only being interim guidance from Nice, the decision was described by patient support group Factor 50 and leading UK skin cancer charity Skcin as “devastating”.

So far, about 20 patients with metastatic melanoma have been given Yervoy in the North-East.

Most have been treated at the Freeman Hospital, in Newcastle, with a smaller number given the drug at The James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough.

Newcastle cancer specialist Professor Ruth Plummer, who has been treating patients with Yervoy as part of clinical trials, said it was the first time that a drug has been shown to extend the lives of patients with metastatic cancer.

She is so impressed by the drug, she is planning to apply to the North-East Cancer Drug Advisory Group to secure funding from the regional cancer drug fund.

In a joint statement, Factor 50 and Skcin said: “To have come so close to a breakthrough and to be told no at this stage is truly devastating.”

Sir Andrew Dillon, chief executive of Nice, said that, while the drug could be very effective for a small percentage of patients, there was no way of identifying which patients would benefit and added the drug also had a number of side-effects.

The Nice committee concluded that ipilimumab could not be considered a costeffective use of NHS resources.

Prof Plummer said: “The Nice preliminary decision is disappointing.

“We have applied locally for access to ipilimumab through the cancer drugs fund in line with other cancer networks in the UK, and hope we will be able to access the drug for appropriate melanoma patients via this mechanism.”