Faster access to Cancer Drugs Fund

Abstract

Access to England’s Cancer Drugs Fund will be sped up to ensure that patients are off ered drugs within days of applying, the Department of Health has announced. Introduced by the coalition government in 2010, the Fund aims to improve patient access to cancer drugs before the expected reform of arrangements for branded drug pricing. The current Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme expires at the end of 2013. However, some doctors and charities have raised concerns that it can take several weeks for patients to access cancer drugs through the Fund. Pharmafocus magazine recently reported an underspend of around £60 million on the Fund last year by the Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) accountable for the Fund. New guidance to the UK National Health Service (NHS) will speed up applications for cancer drugs, which will no longer need to go through the primary care trust (PCT) funding processes. Each SHA should ensure there is a transparent, published process for allocating the funding, and “more challenging timescales” for decision making should be adopted. The present 31-day treatment standard should be seen as an absolute maximum. The guidance came into force on April 23, 2012, and does not apply retrospectively. It will be kept under review and updated as appropri ate during 2012–13. An audit of the Fund will also be undertaken to provide evidence from drugs funded through the Fund for the benefi t of wider NHS practice. Andrew Wilson, from the Rarer Cancers Foundation (Canterbury, UK), said, “We welcome the measures aimed at speeding up applications for drugs by bypassing PCT funding processes prior to applying to the Fund. This will help patients to get the fastest possible access to the drugs recommended by their doctors”. Heather Walker from Cancer Re search UK (London, UK) agreed. “Cancer Research UK welcomes anything that helps patients get the treatments they need faster. But it’s still unclear what will happen to the Fund when we move to value-based pricing in 2014. We would like to see detailed plans from the government to reassure us that cancer patients won’t be left in limbo”, Walker said.