Medic angry at drug snub

THE organisation which decides which drugs to allow on the NHS has been criticised for refusing latest lung medication.

Yesterday the Scottish Medical Council announced it would not accept the gefitinib drug for first-line treatment of advanced lung cancer.

The move has been criticised by Dr Marianne Nicolson, a leading medical oncologist, who said: "The failure to accept gefitinib is disheartening for people with non small cell lung cancer in Scotland. Gefitinib offers a major step forward in treatment."