Cancer drug funding announced

The government has said that over the following three years people in England who have cancer will be helped by a £600 million fund which will aid access to treatments.

Health secretary Andrew Lansley said cancer patients had already been helped by a fund of £50 million which started this month.

In April 2011 the government will make available £200 million to help doctors get access to drugs which could see their patients live longer or have improved quality of life.

"This £200m a year funding over three years for cancer drugs is a crucial step forward in addressing the disparity in patients' access to cancer drugs in England compared to other countries. My aim is to truly empower patients," he said.

Research recently showed that the UK was in 12th place out of 14 developed countries for access to cancer medication that had been available over the last five years.

Experts stated that some of the drugs had not been made available in the UK because they had not been approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

Hilary Tovey, of Cancer Research UK, said: "This cancer drugs fund could make a real difference for some cancer patients, allowing them to get the treatments they need."

"It's crucial that cancer patients have easy access to the best drugs and that the way this happens is transparent and easy for doctors and patients to understand.

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