Calls for drug funding to be made simpler made

Macmillan Cancer Support has called for funding applications for drugs to be made easier for NHS patients, stating the existing system is too complex.

The charitable organisation said people having trouble getting funding through their local health trust for drugs which have not been approved by the advisory body the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) are forced to navigate “an often impossible system”.

According to the Press Association, the body has said the process has 84 different names, lacks any consistency with regard to decision-making and is not often publicised.

Research carried out by the charity found a total of 76 per cent of Primary Care Trusts take the cost of treatment into account when deciding whether to grant exceptional funding, while six said they take local media publicity into consideration before deciding whether to pay.

Mike Hobday, head of policy at Macmillan, said the exceptional funding process need to be made more consistent across the NHS.

“The differences amongst health trusts in how they provide exceptional funding is fuelling the ‘postcode lottery’ in the NHS. All we are after is a level playing field,” he adds.

In recent days, Macmillan announced its support for the Better Cancer Care action plan.