Bowel Cancer UK have expressed disappointment over the decision by NHS England to remove five bowel cancer drug indications from availability via the Cancer Drugs Fund in England.

This move reduces patient choice of treatment options and restricts the ability of clinicians to prescribe bowel cancer drugs which have proven to be clinically effective.

The drugs affected are aflibercept (Zaltrap), bevacizumab (Avastin) and cetuximab (Erbitux).

Aflibercept has been removed from the Cancer Drugs Fund completely, while bevacizumab and cetuximab have had their availability reduced.

This decision adds confusion for patients as to which drugs are or are not available in different parts of the UK.

The five indications removed have been accessed many times in England via the Cancer Drugs Fund, yet some have not been available to patients elsewhere in the UK during that time.

This inequality of access must be remedied by a long-term solution involving NICE, NHS England, the Department of Health, the pharmaceutical industry and other key groups.

Nick Bason, Head of Policy & Communications at Bowel Cancer UK, said:

"Decisions about drugs already available via the Cancer Drugs Fund appear to have been made in haste without any proper consideration of the real-world benefits that these drugs have for patients themselves in terms of both extension and quality of life. It is also vital to consider the important role different combinations of drug treatments have in the overall treatment pathway. We agree that treatments must be both cost and clinically effective but this process is a mess and is causing extra stress and worry for people with bowel cancer.

"We need a long term, cost-effective solution for ensuring people with bowel cancer can access treatments deemed effective by the clinicians, not another short-term, quick fix. After all, this is about people's lives."

NHS England have indicated that no one currently in receipt of de-listed drugs will lose access to them.

The five bowel cancer drug indications will be removed from the Cancer Drugs Fund from 12 March 2015.

In 2014 Bowel Cancer UK responded to the NHS England consultation on changes to the Cancer Drugs Fund, calling for a long-term solution to the issue of access to cancer drugs.

Source: Bowel Cancer UK