Conservatives say Scots patients denied cancer drugs

Published on Thursday 27 January 2011 14:48

Scotland should consider a cancer drugs fund to help patients pay for treatment that is only available south of the Border, the Conservative leader in the Scottish Parliament has said.

Annabel Goldie said cancer sufferers in Scotland were being "denied access to a range of drugs that can prolong life for some patients".

She said: "A report in October by the Rarer Cancers Foundation published a list of at least 18 drugs that are available in England and not in Scotland. The Scottish Conservatives have proposed setting up a Scottish cancer drugs fund to help patients in Scotland get these same drugs. "Does the First Minister agree that Scottish cancer patients deserve the same access to these drugs as patients in England?"

Ms Goldie made the call during First Minister's Questions at Holyrood yesterday. It follows a decision by the UK government to set up a special fund to help cancer sufferers in England access drugs not approved for use by the NHS.

First Minister Alex Salmond called on Ms Goldie to acknowledge that the Scottish Medicines Consortium, the body that ensures value for money in medicines procurement, was "a very robust system".

He said: "It has been widely admired, but it has very difficult decisions to make, because obviously resources are constrained in the health service, even though it has been protected by this administration."

He added: "I've seen many stories emanating from England, for example, which complain about some drugs being authorised by Scotland but not by the processes down south.

"These decisions are made in the best interests of patients, but inevitably in any decision to authorise drug use there is always a resource issue as well.

"The balance of effectiveness against resources is always a difficult decision."

Ms Goldie said the UK government's commitment to setting up a cancer drugs fund in England and Wales, which she said has received interim funding, has been "warmly received by cancer sufferers, families and campaign groups there". Mr Salmond said the health secretary was prepared to discuss ideas that could improve the situation, and would meet with Ms Goldie to discuss her ideas.