NI NHS patients to get equal access to new cancer drugs

Patients in Northern Ireland currently do not have access to new cancer medicines unlike their counterparts in England, and the additional annual cost of access has been estimated at around £2.5 million. Now the Department of Health in Northern Ireland has announced its intentions to ensure NI patients get access to all new medicines, which will “increase access to promising new treatments, improve the overall consistency of the IFR process, include a greater level of clinical input, and increase emphasis on the clinical benefit to the patient, all of which are factors in the public interest.” Medicines approved by NICE for use through the Cancer Drug Fund in England will be considered for NI endorsement of NICE recommendations and be accessible in NI as well as the rest of the UK.

Colette Goldrick, ABPI Northern Ireland Director, said: “This is a great day for Northern Ireland cancer patients, bringing an end to a serious health inequality that has developed over recent years. We are pleased that the new measures are to be brought in immediately. Now we can focus efforts on working collaboratively to restore Northern Ireland’s position as a leader in the global challenge to improve outcomes for people with cancer.”

Permanent secretary of Department of Health, Richard Pengelly, said: “I am aware that patients and clinicians here have been frustrated by the difference in access arrangements and I am pleased that we are now in a position to bring forward these changes which will increase access to new medicines for patients in Northern Ireland.”