Island is to wait for cancer drug

The drug targets the hormone oestrogen

A new drug which could help sufferers of breast cancer will not be available in Jersey in the near future.

Femara is three times more effective than current treatments but has to undergo tests in the UK. Health experts are calling for it to be fast-tracked.

Jersey's health officials said they were looking into the possibilities of stocking the drug.

But they said they were waiting for the results of the UK's stringent tests, which they said were very important.

Ruling date

Femara is a type of drug called an aromatase inhibitor which stops the natural production of oestrogen - the hormone that is responsible for the growth and recurrence of many breast cancers.

A global study found Femara (letrozole) was of most benefit to women at highest risk of the cancer returning, the New England Journal of Medicine reported.

In women whose cancer had spread to the lymph nodes, the drug cut the risk of a recurrence of disease by 29% compared to "gold standard" treatment of Tamoxifen.

The study involved 8,000 women, including more than 400 from the UK.

Its findings contributed to a decision earlier this month by the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to approve a licence for the use of the drug for postmenopausal women with early breast cancer straight after surgery.

However, the NHS drug watchdog is not due to rule on whether the drug should be made widely available until late next year.

Also, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is not due to rule on the use of aromatase inhibitors by the NHS next autumn.

The chief executive of Health and Social Services, Mike Pollard, said Jersey's General Hospital would follow legislation from NICE, and once it had made a decision it would then be adopted in Jersey.