HSE agrees to reimburse immunotherapy drugs for skin cancer patients 

Adjuvant immunotherapy drugs for stage three melanoma patients have been approved for reimbursement by the HSE. File picture.

Adjuvant immunotherapy drugs for stage three melanoma patients have been approved for reimbursement by the HSE.

This comes after two-and-a-half years of campaigners highlighting the unequal treatment of public and private patients who have stage three melanoma, or skin cancer.

Previously, public patients with stage three melanoma could not access immunotherapy drugs after having surgery to remove the cancer. These drugs are used to prevent the cancer from growing back.

Instead, they were continually monitored through a "watch and wait" strategy.

However, patients with certain private health insurance plans could access these drugs.

Studies have shown that by giving these patients immunotherapy after surgery, the chances of the cancer reappearing reduced by 20%. 

In one clinical trial, 64% of patients with stage three melanoma who were given immunotherapy were relapse-free after three years, in comparison to 44% in a placebo group.

Conor Stapleton, a young campaigner and medical student from Laois who was diagnosed with stage three melanoma in November 2019, welcomed the news.

He said tireless campaigners, such as Kay Curtin, deserved credit for their continued work in getting the treatment approved.

"But it does come after a long period of private patients receiving care that public patients don't receive, and definitely highlights the work that needs to be done in getting Irish patients access to new treatments in a timely manner," he said.

In a statement, the HSE confirmed that they will reimburse two new immunotherapy drugs for stage three melanoma patients who have undergone surgery.

The HSE said that Nivolumab will be reimbursed from February 1. This drug is used as monotherapy for the adjuvant (preventative) treatment of adults with melanoma, whose cancer involves lymph nodes or metastatic disease, who have undergone complete resection.

Pembrolizumab is also in the process of being approved for reimbursement. This drug can be used as monotherapy for the adjuvant treatment of adults with stage three melanoma and lymph node involvement, who have undergone complete resection also. 

"As part of that process, the Health Technology Assessment for this indication has been completed by the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics," the HSE said.

While the HSE had been reimbursing three different kinds of immunotherapy drugs for melanoma patients previously, this was for people who were at a more advanced stage of cancer.

"All patients entitled to receive health services and treatment in public hospitals in Ireland are considered to be eligible for treatment with the drugs which have been approved for reimbursement by the HSE for the relevant indication when administered in a publicly funded hospital.

"The National Cancer Control Programme cannot comment on the business decision taken by the private health insurers with regard to the medicines covered under their schemes," the HSE concluded.