Pancreatic cancer drug not recommended
People with pancreatic cancer have very limited treatment options. HIgh costs of pegylated liposomal irinotecan means it is too expensive to recommend. said NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) as given in their draft guidance not recommending pegylated liposomal irinotecan also called nal-iri, Onivyde and made by Shire), to treat pancreatic cancer.
Pegylated liposomal irinotecan blocks an enzyme causing DNA strands to break and stops cancer cells dividing so they eventually die. It is licensed for use in combination with a chemotherapy drug, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and leucovorin (LV) which increases the effectiveness of 5-FU.
The draft guidance looks at the treatment of cancer that has spread from the pancreas, in adults where the disease has progressed after gemcitabine-based therapy .….. more