Code Viola: “No Aifa to pancreatic cancer drug extinguishes hope”

Since March, patients with pancreatic cancer and the Brca1 / 2 gene mutation, made famous by actress Angelina Jolie, may no longer have access to the only drug that delays the progression of the disease and allows them to avoid chemo. After AIFA’s no to the reimbursement of Olaparib, the program for the compassionate use of this drug will close on February 28, administered since the end of 2019 in forty Italian oncologies to about eighty patients with these characteristics. “Patients being treated with the drug will be able to continue, this hope will be denied to others”, reports to Adnkronos Salute Piero Rivizzigno, president of the Code Viola Association, engaged in a race against time for Aifa to re-evaluate its decision, which will lead to to stop the Olaparib compassionate use program. Last November, “on the occasion of World Pancreatic Cancer Day, with a cynical and disrespectful timing for the sensitivity of the community of pancreatic cancer patients, the AIFA Technical-Scientific Commission did not approve the reimbursement of olaparib for patients with Brca mutation. Together with other associations we have moved to re-evaluate this senseless decision – tells Rivizzigno – but the big difficulty is the lack of transparency of Aifa: we do not know who to contact to ask for explanations, we do not find the references of the resolution on the agency’s website. We obviously wrote to AIFA, but we have not received any response or explanations. A serious lack of respect and sensitivity towards citizens and in particular patients, who are dealing with a very severe disease. pancreatic cancer this year, according to Airtum data, is the third leading cause of cancer death “. Rivizzigno also points out the short circuit uit between the medical-scientific community and the regulatory authority: “The Italian association of medical oncology Aiom has included in its recommendations the use of Olaparib for these patients, included in the guidelines published on the ISS website. However, this was not reflected in the AIFA decision, which went on its own account “.