UK's NICE attacked as cancer drugs again rebuffed

* Appeal over use of kidney cancer drugs rejected

* Roche says NICE decision "entirely illogical"

LONDON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Britain's healthcare cost-effectiveness watchdog has rejected an appeal to make three drugs available to kidney cancer patients on the state National Health Service (NHS), angering drugmakers and patients.

Only Pfizer's (PFE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) medicine Sutent will be reimbursed on the NHS, with Roche's (ROG.VX: Quote, Profile, Research) Avastin, Bayer's BAYG.DE Nexavar and Wyeth's (WY.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Torisel all passed over.

The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) said on Wednesday that the evidence to support the use of the other treatments was not strong enough to justify using NHS funds, which could be spent on other treatment programmes.

It, therefore, turned down an appeal for the use of the drugs from Roche, Wyeth and three cancer patient groups.

NICE first caused a furore a year ago when it said "no" to all four of the expensive new medicines for advanced or metastatic kidney cancer, before later relenting on Sutent.

John Melville, general manager of Roche UK, said the decision was "entirely illogical".

The case highlights the tough choices that NICE has to make when deciding which drugs are worth offering to patients and which are too expensive.

For the last 10 years, the NICE has led the world in assessing the cost-effectiveness of drugs. Similar bodies are now springing up in other countries as payers seek a rational way to decide whether pricey new drugs for cancer and other complex disorders are worth using. (Reporting by Ben Hirschler; editing by Karen Foster)