Effective Drug Funding

The establishment of an additional Cancer Drugs Fund was a clear sign that the current system for the effective and efficient commissioning of cancer drugs in England was failing to achieve its objectives.
Now even this additional pot is crumbling under demand and the high cost of cancer drugs. The knee-jerk reaction has been to save money by re‑evaluating the availability of these drugs, regardless of need.
The number of people living with cancer is predicted to reach a record level this year in Britain. A long-term plan for more sustainable and effective drug-funding and appraisal systems in all parts of the country is urgently required. Cancer charities are uniting behind this common goal and will be working closely with NHS England, the Department of Health, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) over the coming months to develop a better process for commissioning cancer drugs.
Only this way, with the full cooperation of manufacturers, will the health service be able to cope with demand and meet the needs of people affected by cancer.
Owen Sharp, Chief Executive, Prostate Cancer UK
Mark Flannagan, Chief Executive, Beating Bowel Cancer
Andrew Wilson, Chief Executive, Rarer Cancers Foundation
Deborah Alsina, Chief Executive, Bowel Cancer UK
Baroness Delyth Morgan, Chief Executive Officer, Breast Cancer Campaign
Samia al Qadhi, Chief Executive, Breast Cancer Care
Chris Askew, Chief Executive, Breakthrough Breast Cancer
Maggie Wilcox, President, Independent Cancer Patients’ Voice
Nick Turkentine, Chief Executive, Kidney Cancer UK
Robert Music, Chief Executive, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust
Rose Woodward, Founder, Kidney Cancer Support Network
Monica Izmajlowicz, Chief Executive, Leukaemia Care
Lindsey Bennister, Chief Executive, Sarcoma UK
Jesme Fox, Medical Director, Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation,
Roger Wotton, Hon. Chairman, Tackle Prostate Cancer
Read The Telegraph newspaper article about how cancer charities are uniting behind the common goal of effective and efficient commissioning of cancer drugs here.