Britons denied cancer drugs

Although the medicines have been proven to extend the lives of people suffering from a range of cancers, UK patients are forced to wait while patients from other EU nations and elsewhere around the world can obtain them.

In recent years, NICE has rejected or only partially endorsed 15 drugs for rarer cancers. It has blocked a quarter of the cancer drugs made available since 2008 and restricted others despite Government promises for more treatments. These include Avastin and Nexavar.