AstraZeneca CEO Criticizes Refusal of Breast Cancer Treatment by Public Health Body
The chief executive of AstraZeneca, Sir Pascal Soriot, has expressed disappointment over the decision of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to deny access to the company’s breast cancer treatment, Enhertu, for NHS patients in England and Wales. According to NICE, the drug did not provide value for money and therefore should not be made available to patients. This decision has affected at least 1,000 patients to date.
Sir Pascal Soriot stated that Enhertu has been approved for use in 17 other European countries, including NHS patients in Scotland. He explained that NICE’s methodology, known as severity scoring, often leads to difficult access for innovative medicines. In the case of Enhertu, NICE concluded that metastatic breast cancer is only a moderately severe disease, whereas most people and patients would consider it a severe disease. This discrepancy in severity scoring has resulted in patients in England and Wales being denied access to the treatment.
The CEO emphasized the importance of changing NICE’s methodology as it not only affects patient health but also has repercussions on the investment decisions made by pharmaceutical companies. He highlighted that the UK has a strong science base and a talented pool of individuals, making it an attractive location for research and development. However, the decision to invest is also influenced by the country’s financial environment and access to medicines. Sir Pascal urged for a change in NICE’s methodology to ensure that innovative medicines reach patients in need.
He also revealed that he has raised this issue with ministers at every opportunity and is hopeful that the new government will address it. Sir Pascal stated that if NICE were to score metastatic breast cancer as a severe disease, Enhertu would automatically be recommended for use.
Sir Pascal further mentioned the positive steps taken by the government to address concerns raised by the pharmaceutical industry, such as addressing the rebates drug companies must pay the NHS when its branded drugs bill rises above a certain level. He also commended the government’s efforts to incentivize investment by the industry, resulting in AstraZeneca’s recent announcement to invest £450m in vaccine research, development, and manufacturing in Speke, Merseyside.
Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, AstraZeneca reported a 7% increase in its core operating profit, reaching $8.4bn for the first six months of the year. The company also upgraded its sales and profit forecasts for the whole of 2024, with sales rising by 18% to $25.6bn.
Sir Pascal highlighted the company’s strong performance in emerging markets, where it is now the number one player globally among its peers. He also mentioned AstraZeneca’s commitment to launch 20 new molecular entities by 2030, including treatments for cancer, obesity, kidney disease, and heart disease.
The CEO emphasized the role of combination therapies in revolutionizing the future of healthcare, especially in cancer treatment. He explained that the company’s vision to cure cancer involves attacking the cancer tumor with a combination of treatments, including antibody drug conjugates, dual nucleotides, and bispecific antibodies. This approach aims to shrink the tumor and prevent it from protecting itself against future treatments, with the potential to achieve a cure in the next five to 10 years.
