BBC (KC) 02-Jun-09
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Coroner's concern for cancer drug
A Somerset coroner said he wants the manufacturers of a new cancer drug to make people more aware of its potential side effects after a man died. John Powys, 61, from Dorset had kidney cancer and was treated with Sunitinib, which was approved for the UK in 2009. He was prescribed the drug in June 2008 but died three weeks later despite the drug successfully shrinking his tumour. In his verdict, coroner Tony Williams said there was little doubt the drug had killed Mr Powys. The inquest at Yeovil Magistrates' Court was told Mr Powys, a managing director who lived near Gillingham, fell ill just days after taking Sunitinib. Mr Powys eventually died of multiple organ failure in Yeovil District Hospital. Dr Edwin Cooper, the pathologist who carried out the post-mortem, said it was "very likely" the drug caused his death. He told the court that although he could not prove this conclusively all the clinical signs pointed to Sunitinib being the cause.
Health concerns
Dr Jeremy Reid, the consultant who treated Mr Powys at Yeovil District Hospital Intensive Care Unit, but who did not prescribe the Sunitinib, said the drug was said to be four times more effective in treating kidney cancer than any previous drug.
He told the inquest there had been concerns about risks of the drug causing heart failure in a small number of patients, but the risks had not been widely reported. Dr Reid said when he contacted the drug manufacturer they were extremely helpful and sent him clinical information about the risks. The post-mortem revealed the drug had actually succeeded in shrinking Mr Powys' cancer tumour by 90% but had also been the cause of multiple organ failure. East Somerset coroner recorded a narrative verdict saying the drug had been responsible for Mr Powys' death. He said he would be writing to the manufacturers urging them to make the risks more widely known.
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