The report, From patent to patient – analysing access to innovative cancer drugs, looks at how efficiently new cancer drugs licensed in Europe reach NHS patients here in the UK. The main findings were:
– Only 8% of new drug authorisations are for children
– Cancers of unmet need, such as brain, womb, bladder, oesophageal, liver and pancreatic are missing out on advances
– Leaps forward in cancer research mean many more new drugs
– Average time from patent to NHS patient increased by more than a year
– NICE is not doing enough to ensure most innovative treatments reach patients.
