AstraZeneca and Novartis among six firms to gain approval for new drugs in Scotland

AstraZeneca's non-small cell lung cancer therapy Tagrisso (osimertinib) is one of six new medicines to be approved for use in Scotland after gaining approval through the Scottish Medicines Consortium's Patient and Clinical Engagement (PACE) board.

Fellow pharmaceutical giant Novartis also got the green light for the prescription of a new drug in the country, with its everolimus-based lung and gastrointestinal tumour treatment Afinitor winning approval from the committee.

Servier Laboratories received approval from the PACE board for Lonsurf, a combination drug intended to treat colorectal cancer in patients who have failed to respond to other treatments for the disease.

Meanwhile, Allergan gained approval for its Botox drug to treat migraines and Amgen's cholesterol-lowering treatment Repatha also got the go ahead for widespread use in Scotland.

Finally, the sixth drug to be approved as cost-effective for NHS use in the country by the PACE process was Noqdima, which is manufactured by Ferring and is designed to induce greater bladder control in people who frequently have to pass urine during the night.

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