Cancer drug provision 'needs radical review'

There needs to be a radical review of cancer drug provision in the UK to ensure that people who are in need of treatment receive the best possible medication.

Professor Karol Sikora, medical director of CancerPartnersUK, said it is "worrying" that people in need of medication are not being given adequate healthcare provision.

His comments came after research by the Rarer Cancers Forum showed that up to 16,000 patients a year with less common forms of cancer are being denied medications which could help them live longer.

"This report highlighted the sorry plight of many cancer patients caused by excess bureaucracy in the decision-making process surrounding access to high-cost cancer drugs. Although there has been some improvement in availability it's still clearly a case of 'if you don't ask you don't get'," Professor Sikora explained.

The report showed that clinicians and pharmacists have expressed concern about the administrative burden caused by patient access schemes but said this has to be weighed against the alternative access mechanism for patients.

According to the study, the exceptional cases process occupies a total of 6,000 hours of consultants' time a year, as well as 12,000 hours of other NHS staff time, which costs the taxpayer over £750,000 a year.

However, Professor Sikora said this is no excuse to neglect people who are badly in need of treatment.

"It is shocking that over 6,000 hours of consultants' time a year is spent filling in forms and dealing with correspondence on this issue," the expert concluded.

Posted by James McCann

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