Cancer charities ‘concerned’ over changes to drug approval

Fifteen cancer charities have singed a letter sent to Prime Minister David Cameron, detailing concerns over the new plans for approving cancer medicines for NHS England.

The dispute is over planned changed to the Cancer Drugs Fund, which currently pays for innovative drugs which are deemed too expensive for the NHS as a whole. The medicines regulator has argued that the changes will mean drugs will be approved faster in England than anywhere else in Europe.

The new system will come into action in July, fixing the fund’s budget at £340 million. It will involve the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), giving new medicines a Yes, No or Maybe rating before them come to market.

Drugs given the go-ahead will be routinely offered across the NHS, while those given a Maybe rating will be considered for the Cancer Drugs Fund.

However, a number of cancer charities, including Beating Bowel Cancer, Prostate Cancer UK and Target Ovarian Cancer, have claimed NICE’s decision is flawed.

The letter to Cameron said: "We are deeply concerned by the lack of reform proposed to the wider NICE process of appraising cancer medicines.

"Unfortunately the new system does not update the methodology used by NICE, introduced back in 1999, and many clinically-effective treatments will now struggle to gain approval. We urge you to intervene and commit to a review of the outdated mechanisms used to assess cancer medicines."

Sir Andrew Dillon, chief executive of the Cancer Drugs Fund, said: "I understand and support the ambition the charities have for access to effective cancer medicines.

"Our approach to assessing the value of new cancer drugs has been reviewed on a regular basis since we were set up in 1999 and is already more generous than for other conditions.

"It's now up to [pharmaceutical] companies to show that they recognise the challenges as well as the opportunities their new drugs present to the NHS, and show the same flexibility on cost to NICE as they have been showing to NHS England in its recent negotiations with companies for drugs already in the Cancer Drugs Fund.”