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The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) today announces its interim Appraisal Committee Decision on the use of Erlotinib (Tarceva®) as a treatment for non-small cell lung cancer.

Cancerbackup and the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation issued the following statement in response to the decision by NICE.

“We are disappointed with this news after our successful appeal of the original negative decision by NICE. Lung cancer is a devastating disease with few treatment options in its advanced stage, Tarceva provides another option and will give some patients extra time which can be extremely valuable to patients and their families. We strongly urge NICE to take account of the views of lung cancer patients and their doctors and overturn today’s announcement. Until the Final Appraisal Determination is made, clinicians should continue to prescribe Tarceva where appropriate, in line with health service guidelines.”

Cancerbackup and the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation will now submit further evidence in support of the use of Tarceva in patients with lung cancer who are likely to benefit from the drug, before NICE makes its final decision.

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For more information please contact Cancerbackup on 020 7920 7219 / 020 7920 7218 or mrowley@cancerbackup.org or dward@cancerbackup.org

Cancerbackup

1. Cancerbackup is the only national charity that specialises in providing information on all types of cancer.
2. All Cancerbackup services are free to cancer patients, their relatives and friends.
3. Cancerbackup Freephone Information Service: 0808 800 1234 (Mon-Fri, 9am-8pm).  Cancerbackup Centres can be found in St Bartholomew’s Hospital, Charing Cross Hospital, the London Clinic, The Christie Hospital, Ipswich Hospital, Nottingham City Hospital, Coventry’s University Hospital and Jersey. The charity’s website can be found at www.cancerbackup.org.uk
4. Cancerbackup, as a charity, receives 54% of its funding from individuals, 11% from charitable trusts, 5% from grants, 14% from companies, 2% from investments and 14% from its trading company.  Pharmaceutical companies contributed 9% of the total 2005/06 income.
5. In April 2006 Cancerbackup changed its name from CancerBACUP, so that the charity’s name better represents the service the charity provides: information, understanding and support to anyone affected by cancer.

Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation

Media enquiries and interview opportunities: contact Chris Dolan on 0161 238 9424 / 07770 886 919 / cdolan@webershandwick.com

The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation is the only charity in the UK wholly dedicated to defeating lung cancer – the biggest cancer killer in the UK.  The charity’s approach benefits current and future lung cancer sufferers alike:

• The foundation funds research programmes to detect lung cancer at a very early stage, which will save lives and is vital to the development of a future therapy.
• The foundation offers patient support, advocacy and an information network providing information, guidance and support relevant to the needs of lung cancer patients and their families.
• The foundation facilitates support groups across the UK that assist sufferers to come to terms with the disease and provide patient advocacy services.
• The foundation operates ‘Quit Smoking’ services for adults (Fag Ends); 
• KATS (Kids Against Tobacco Smoke) educational programme for children which encourages young people never to start smoking;
• ATYC (Anti Tobacco Youth Campaign) which gives young people a voice, knowledge and skills to campaign about smoking and other tobacco issues;
• The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation runs fundraising events and charity shops, both of which help to generate much needed voluntary donations (public and corporate), on which it relies to continue its fight to defeat lung cancer.

For further information visit www.roycastle.org