OcuMel UK are pleased to share that NICE have issued guidance on the use of Chemosaturation for patients with ocular melanoma.  The treatment has been approved for use with Special Arrangements for clinical governance, consent, and audit or research.

NICE has stated “For patients with metastases in the liver from ocular melanoma, there is some evidence of short‑term tumour response.” The full guidance can be seen here, with information on Special Arrangements here.

This treatment had been reviewed previously and was recommended to be used in the context of Research.  In a statement made by Delcath Systems Inc., NICE’s recent decision means “private insurance companies may be more likely to fund treatment with CHEMOSAT, some regional funding may be more accessible, and a process is now available to seek national reimbursement.”  Their full statement can be seen here.

This is incredible news for people affected by ocular melanoma and a huge milestone in the treatments available to people with this condition.

“It has taken us a decade to get this important step of recognition that this treatment is effective for uveal melanoma metastases and not just a in a research setting.  This is a vital development.  The next battle will be identifying an NHS funding stream to try and help Chemosaturation establish its place in the management of ocular melanoma liver metastases.”  Mr Neil Pearce, Chairperson, OcuMel UK.

CHEMOSAT® National Account Manager, Kirk Chester from medac Pharma, comments: “This is a huge step forward for patients suffering from this rare cancer. We have worked with leading clinicians and OcuMel UK, a dedicated patient support group for people diagnosed with ocular melanoma, to get the status of the procedure changed from research only to special arrangements.  Previously this treatment was only available to patients who funded it themselves, via medical insurance or as part of a clinical trial. NICE’s change of status will allow clinicians to apply for funding on a case by case basis at local NHS level.”  A full statement can be seen here.

OcuMel UK will now be working to understand if regional funding is an option for patients and how we can support plans for national reimbursement.  It is our understanding that pathways are needed so that all patients can access this treatment if it is the most suitable treatment for them.  We will update our members with more information on this as it becomes available.

We would like to thank the members of the NICE review committee, the Companies involved with this treatment, the Clinicians and Researchers who have helped patients on this journey, to the Patients who have experienced this treatment and to everyone who was able to make a submission to the NICE Guidance review.  The committee valued their contribution and we are sure their submissions helped the committee to understand the impact this treatment had on patients.

OcuMel UK ran a series of meetings to help people through the process of making a submission to NICE and we produced step by step guides to help people.  We certainly hoped this enabled more people to contribute towards the review.

Data is now emerging from the FOCUS trial and we will share further updates as we have them.  The latest release is shown below.

Delcath Systems, Inc. Announces Positive Preliminary Results from Phase 3 FOCUS Trial of HEPZATO in Patients with Metastatic Ocular Melanoma

Patients wanting to know more, should speak to their oncology team and understand that until funding has been agreed this is not a treatment widely available on the NHS.

We are keen to support patients undergoing this treatment and understand their experience.  Please contact Jo Gumbs on jo@omuk.info or 01753 357771 if you are have or are considering this treatment.

OcuMel UK run a helpline for people affected by ocular melanoma and everyone is welcome to speak to our Helpline Team on 0300 790 0512 (Lines open between 10am – 7pm Monday – Friday). Alternatively you can email us on helpline@omuk.info.

For further information, please visit www.ocumeluk.org

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