The UK government have told kidney cancer patients that new drugs cannot be offered on the National Health Service. Roche's Avastin, Bayer's Nexavar, Pfizer's Sutent and Wyeth's Torisel were not cost-effective. The drugs -- known generically as bevacizumab, sorafenib, sunitinib and temsirolimus -- should therefore not be a treatment option for advanced and/or metastatic kidney cancer, NICE said.

Cancer Research UK said it raised questions about whether NICE's system of appraisal was appropriate for all types of drugs, especially when there were few alternative treatments. NICE argues it has to make tough choices when deciding which drugs should be paid for and which not.

Modern targeted drugs are revolutionising cancer care, yet they often increase survival by only a few months. Drug companies argue they need to charge a high price for them to make a return on risky research investment. The high price of treatment with the kidney drugs means it would cost GBP71,500 to GBP171,300 ($139,800-335,000) for every year of healthy life gained, NICE calculated.

Today there are an estimated 24.6 million people in the world living with cancer. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has predicted that the worldwide incidence will rise by 50% between 2000 and 2020. Cancer is becoming increasingly common in developing and developed countries, with significant potential for market expansion in both regions. Worldwide, there remain significant unmet needs in cancer treatment, with great opportunities for companies who can develop safer and better-targeted treatments. Our new report Oncology Market Leaders - Analyses and Outlook, 2008-2023, will help you to understand those developments and their significance.

According to IMS, sales data for 2007, the oncology area ranked as the fifth-largest therapeutic class worldwide. In 2007, the anti-cancer drug market generated sales of $66.8bn, up by 17% in comparison with $57bn in 2006. MabThera/Rituxan, Herceptin and Avastin - leading products of biotechnology and pharmacogenomics - are currently amongst the most prominent drugs in cancer therapy. Furthermore, the cancer pipeline remains strong. Current and future R&D is likely to produce significant therapeutic advances, especially when combined with pharmacogenomic medicine, particularly theranostics.

Oncology Market Leaders - Analyses and Outlook, 2008-2023, examines the product portfolios of the leading companies in oncology critically, with in-depth analysis, especially market forecasting and qualitative analyses of market drivers and restraints. This report also contains primary research from our survey of experts in the field. The result is a comprehensive market-based report with detailed analyses and informed opinion