UK lags behind Europe on innovative cancer drugs
pharmafile | July 29, 2010 | News story | Sales and Marketing | Cancer, market access
The UK has been ranked as one of the worst countries when it comes to uptake of new cancer drug treatments, according to a new report by England’s National Cancer director Professor Sir Mike Richards.
For drugs less than five years old, Sir Mike’s report gives UK an average ranking of 12 out of 14 countries, above only Canada and New Zealand. He said this meant the UK was the “worst amongst comparable European countries”.
The Extent and Causes of International Variation in Drug Usage looked at a total of 11 disease areas, based on data from industry analysts IMS Health, and examined the use of 123 drugs across the 14 countries, with the US coming out top.
The report also found the UK lags well behind comparator countries in the provision of medicines for atypical antipsychotics, dementia, hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as cancer.
The UK did however score highly in the provision of medicines for acute myocardial infarction (heart attacks) and stroke.
The launch of Sir Mike’s report coincided with an announcement from Health Secretary Andrew Lansley of an interim £50 million cancer drugs fund to help ‘top up’ current availability. This will be followed in April next year with a £200 million cancer drugs fund.
Alison Clough, ABPI director of commercial and communications, said: “The statistics demonstrate that in general, the UK continues to lag behind other European countries in our use of innovative medicines in some major disease areas.”
She said that cancer patients in particular were “not benefiting” from new and innovative cancer drugs as they should and she welcomed the coalition government’s new funding programme.
Clough added: “It is really important that continued steps are taken to tackle the causes of variation, not just for cancer but for other conditions as well. We have a strong heritage in medicines research and development and yet patients are not always seeing the benefits quickly enough.”
Ben Adams
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