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Mixed reaction to emergency cancer drugs funding

28 July 2010 Breaking News

The government has earmarked £50m to enable some patients to access new cancer drugs that might otherwise not have been funded by the NHS.

The interim measure, announced by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, follows continued pressure from campaigners and reports in the media which have highlighted numerous cases where cancer sufferers have been unable to access costly new oncology drugs because of restrictions on NHS funding. However, NHS professionals have warned that the issue of cancer drugs funding is complex and cannot be solved simply by providing extra funds.

The move comes ahead of the proposed establishment of a special, permanent "Cancer Drugs Fund", which should come into action in April 2011. The £50m will be made available from October.

The Health Secretary said that the interim measure - and the proposed Cancer Drugs Fund - would give cancer sufferers access to innovative drugs that can extend or improve their quality of life and which their doctors have recommended.

A report by National Cancer Director Professor Sir Mike Richards, published this week, shows that the UK's uptake of new drugs falls behind other European countries.

"I promised that I would help patients in England get cancer drugs that are readily available in the rest of Europe," Lansley said. "It's a scandal that we are strong in cancer research and participation in clinical trials in the UK, yet NHS patients aren't always seeing the benefits from the research swiftly enough."

While some campaigners and clinicians have expressed concern that the measure will not be enough to cover every patient's needs, others said it is a step in the right direction. Nick Turkentine, chief operating officer for the James Whale Fund for Kidney Cancer, said that sufferers have been "pleading in front of juries of primary care trust administrators to allow patients to have proven, innovative cancer drugs that clinicians want to prescribe".

"The accelerated plans to pay for an emergency drug fund could save hundreds of lives as long as these clinically led regional panels do not hold up proceedings," he said.

NHS professionals warned that the issue is a more complex question than one of simple funding.

Nigel Edwards, director of policy at the NHS Confederation, said: "If this system is to be made to work it is important that the process is as simple as possible, so the fund does not create an additional layer of bureaucracy and delay for anxious patients and their families. Close attention will also need to be given to how effective the treatments provided under this new fund prove to be."

The government said it would be launching a consultation on proposals for the Cancer Drugs Fund launched later this year.

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