Today’s good news is that CML patients in Wales whose doctors think they would benefit from treatment with ponatinib will now be able to gain access to the drug sometime over the next 90 days- thereafter it will be routinely available.
The criteria that a patient must satisfy are that they are:
resistant to dasatinib or nilotinib, or intolerant of dasatinib or nilotinib and also where their clinicians are of the opinion that imatinib is not an appropriate treatment option.
This applies in all three disease phases (chronic, accelerated and blast).
In addition there is another entirely separate criteria for patients with a T315i mutation where they will be able to gain access to ponatinib without having to demonstrate intolerance or resistance to any other TKIs.
CMLS group will be writing to the various local health boards in Wales to draw their attention to the recommendation and their obligation to grant access to patients within their particular geographical area.
Sandy