A first-of-its-kind drug that protects the hearing of babies, children and young people undergoing cancer treatment has been approved for NHS use in England, based on the results of one of our trials.
Our SIOPEL-6 study showed that sodium thiosulfate (Pedmarqsi) almost halves the percentage of children and teenagers who lose hearing as a side effect of the platinum-based chemotherapy drug cisplatin.
Now the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended the drug to NHS England, almost 60 children and teenagers (one month to 17 years old) should be eligible to receive it over the next year.
Dr Penelope (Peppy) Brock, who led the SIOPEL-6 trial from Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, called the decision “crucial”.
“As cure rates increase into the high 90s for several cancers, the need to resolve these permanently disabling effects becomes more and more pressing,” she added. “I am delighted that finally we have something to offer to counter this life-impacting side effect and can give children the opportunity to live healthy, happy and fully integrated lives after overcoming cancer.”
Credit: Tim Gunn – CRUK