Irish patients will have access to four new cancer drugs from this week, following approval by the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP). The drugs will cost the HSE just over €3.5 million per annum.

Dr Susan O'Reilly, Director of the HSE's National Cancer Control Programme, said the four new drugs - used for the treatment of bone cancer in children and younger adults, skin cancer, advanced prostate cancer and renal cancer - were now available in hospitals across the country.

She said the availability of the drugs marked particular advances in the treatment of these cancers.

"This is a very significant development for our patients.With so much which is new and with the pace of development rapidly accelerating, it is very important that we provide our patients with access to these effective new drugs that can have substantial benefits," Dr O'Reilly said.

The four new drugs are: cabazitaxel, for the treatment of prostate cancer; vemurafenib, for melanoma;
axitinib for kidney cancer and mifamurtide, for bone cancer.

Most of the new drugs approved are for a limited number of patients.

The HSE said the pharmoeconomic assessment carried out in relation to each of the four new drugs initially concluded that at the submitted price they were not cost effective as they exceeded the HSE threshold of €45,000 per quality adjusted life year. 

However, the HSE said continued with negotiations with the relevant pharmaceutical companies and secured a final price that was acceptable.