COSTLY new cancer drugs proven to extend patients’ lives “could bankrupt” the NHS in Scotland, leading doctors have warned.
Dr Ian Devine, who treats leukaemia sufferers at the Western General in Edinburgh, warned a “crisis” was brewing as a series of very expensive new medicines for the condition had become available.
He said his department had estimated the treatments could use up a quarter of the entire drugs budget for NHS Lothian by 2020 and called on politicians to plan accordingly so patients who could benefit would not miss out on the treatment.
Dr Devine said: “There is growing concern among myself and my colleagues that the Scottish Government is not going to be able to fund these drugs any more despite the fact they have an evidence base.”
Dr Devine, who was speaking at an election hustings organised by the British Medical Association Scotland, explained that some of the drugs were among the most expensive on the market.
He said: “These (drugs) could bankrupt the NHS quite simply.
“Our main concern is Scotland will fall behind here and we will have a postcode lottery.”
He called on the health spokespeople who took questions at the hustings for each party to confirm that they would fund the treatments if they had been shown to work.
Shona Robison, who has been Scottish Health Secretary since 2014, said the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) – which weighs up the costs and benefits of new drugs and decides if the Scottish NHS should prescribe them – is independent of politicians.
She said a £90m drugs fund had made some new groundbreaking treatments available in Scotland more quickly than elsewhere but added that there was also a responsibility on the pharmaceutical industry to price medicines fairly.
After the event, Dr Devine, a haematology registrar, reflected: “The issue is that these (medicines) are going to cost a lot of money and I think the government needs to have a plan.
“How much are they willing to fund these drugs to help the Scottish Medicines Consortium make these decisions?”
More than 500 people are diagnosed with leukaemia every year in Scotland.
A spokesman for SMC said they are aware “several new treatments for different types of leukaemia are expected to reach the market in the near future”.
He said they expected pharmaceutical companies and patient support groups to submit evidence to them about the treatments for scrutiny.
He continued: “Many new treatments for leukaemia will be eligible for SMC’s more flexible decision making processes that are in place for end of life and orphan medicines.
“However, in reaching all of its decisions SMC members also have to think about the potential impact on every patient treated as NHS Scotland does not have unlimited funds.”
Zack Pemberton-Whiteley, head of campaigns and advocacy for charity Leukaemia CARE, said urgent action was needed to end variation in access to drugs for the condition across Scotland, England and Wales.
He added: “Whilst we recognise that the NHS has a tight budget and must demonstrate a cost-effective use of resources, UK cancer survival rates are significantly lagging behind Europe.
“If we are to catch up with the European average, access to the most clinically effective drugs is imperative.
“There are numerous new leukaemia treatments coming through, which can offer significant improvements in patient survival outcomes and quality of life, so it is vital that patients are able to able to access these drugs.”
Sandra Auld, Scotland director for the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, said: “It is right that the SMC assess all new medicines to determine their cost-effectiveness. But patients need to be assured that this system is fit for purpose and has evolved and adapted to keep pace with new innovative medicines...
“The ABPI strongly believes that all medicines deemed clinically and cost effective by the SMC should be automatically available to all patients in Scotland via their clinicians.”
She added that as part of a 2014 agreement, the industry paid more than £100 million to the Scottish Government helping support the New Medicines Fund.
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