Spain has regressed in the past two years in the funding of cancer therapies recommended by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO). This is reflected in the comparison of data between the latest Oncoindex report and data from the same report from two years ago. The overall regression is two points (from 56 to 54) in treatments that, according to ESMO, are key to improving the quality of life of cancer patients. Currently, more than 20% of the treatments recommended by ESMO have no public funding (30 out of 139) and only 42 have full funding. Among these therapies, treatments for acute lymphoblastic leukemia have experienced the greatest regression, with over 16% decrease in funding in the last six months, along with bladder cancer treatments, which have decreased by 12.51%. Another data point from the latest Alivia Foundation report includes the number of oncology therapies funded with restrictions, which is 67, representing 48% of the total. Asensio Rodríguez, general director of the Alivia Foundation in Spain, finds the latest Oncoindex data concerning, as they show “not just a stagnation but a clear trend towards regression in the funding of treatments necessary for oncology patients in this country.” “The evidence is there and proves that these are effective treatments that improve quality of life and can even save many patients, but the government is not reacting: it is not expediting authorization procedures or heeding some of the recommendations of scientific societies,” adds the leader. ESMO clinical practice guidelines are widely used in cancer therapies. They have been proven effective in treating various types of tumors, significantly improving clinical outcomes and quality of life of patients by adapting recommendations to specific ethnic and geographic differences. On the ESMO website, it is possible to access these clinical recommendations, classified by tumor type. In order to end this situation and have the government fully finance treatments recommended by ESMO, the Alivia Foundation has been collecting signatures from citizens for several months through its website. In this petition, Alivia requests that responsible agencies “provide rapid diagnostic tests and that all cancer fighting medications recommended by ESMO be available in the public health system.” Oncoindex is an indicator based on drugs registered by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in the last 15 years. Among these authorized medications, Oncoindex lists treatments with proven effectiveness included in ESMO recommendations.
via: MiMub in Spanish