23 treatments cut by Cancer Drugs Fund

16 medicines which are used in 23 separate cancer treatments will no longer be paid for by the Cancer Drugs Fund in England. Drugs for breast, blood and pancreatic cancers are amongst the latest to be discontinued.

The drugs have been rejected because they are not providing enough benefit to the NHS in relation to cost.

The Cancer Drugs Fund, which was set up by Prime Minister David Cameron, was set to reach £100m over budget in the year 2014-15, according to NHS England, and there are now just 41 funded therapies compared to 84 at the beginning of 2015.

Chairman of the Fund, Prof Peter Clark, said “There is no escaping the fact that we face a difficult set of choices, but it is our duty to ensure we get maximum value from every penny available on behalf of patients.

“We must ensure we invest in those treatments that offer the most benefit, based on rigorous evidence-based clinical analysis and an assessment of the cost of those treatments.”

Chief Executive of the Rarer Cancers Foundation, Andrew Wilson, said “These cuts will be a hammer blow to many thousands of desperately ill cancer patients and their families.

“Ministers told us they wanted to work with charities to develop a solution, but now the NHS has announced big reductions in access to existing life-extending treatment, with no action to make available to newest game-changing drugs.”

Chief Executive of the charity Breast Cancer Now, said that this was a “dreadful day” for patients, adding “Kadcyla is a one-of-a-kind drug proven to extend life, and the fact is that because government, the NHS and the pharmaceutical industry have failed to agree realistic prices for new drugs, some women will die sooner.”

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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), Medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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