Health Ministry Says Experimental Cancer Treatment Was Unauthorized and Mishandled

Israel’s Health Ministry said on Sunday, September 24, 2024, that a review panel has finished examining how an 84-year-old cancer patient was approved for a “compassionate use” treatment at Mayanei HaYeshua Hospital, after he later died. The ministry said it is now considering what steps to take against those involved.

The patient, diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer with metastases, sought treatment with the experimental drug Gammora. According to the findings, the drug was given in February 2019 as compassionate treatment without Health Ministry approval. During the course of treatment, he developed sudden neurological symptoms, the therapy was stopped at the family’s request, and he died several weeks later.

The committee reviewed the hospital’s Helsinki committee process and the approval procedures used at Mayanei HaYeshua, including how the request was examined, the regulatory aspects of preparing and using the drug, the conduct of those involved, and compliance with ministry rules. It concluded that the treatment was carried out unlawfully and with significant failures, including misleading information presented to the committee.

The panel said the treatment did not meet the legal conditions for any available pathway, such as a clinical trial, emergency treatment, or compassionate use. It also found that Gammora was not approved for human use, that its import permit was issued only on the basis that it was for laboratory use, and that converting it for human treatment was illegal. The drug had been prepared by people without suitable training. The committee, set up by the Health Ministry’s Public Complaints Commissioner for Medical Professions after a complaint, said the hospital’s approval relied on permission previously given to another patient at Ichilov Hospital. It stressed that the failures were deliberate, not systemic, but said it could not determine with high certainty whether they worsened the patient’s condition, since he may have died from the natural progression of his disease. The ministry said it will continue reviewing the conduct of the institutions and people involved before deciding on further action.