Cancer Patients in UK Dying Early Because of the Flaws in Government’s Medical Funding System

Severin Schwan, chief executive of the Roche Group, warns that the way cancer drugs are provided on the National Health Service (NHS) needs a fundamental overhaul.

A top official wih a drug company has said that cancer patients in Britainare dying early because of the government’s ‘stupid’ medical funding system.

Severin Schwan, chief executive of the Roche Group, warns that the way cancer drugs are provided //on the National Health Service (NHS) needs a fundamental overhaul.

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He said bureaucrats in the country make unusual decisions that cause ‘unnecessary suffering’ to cancer patients.

“If everyone does what the UK does no medicine would ever be launched in the whole world,” Dr Schwan said.

In a controversial move last week, NHS England removed 16 life-extending medications from its £340million pot for expensive treatment.

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The axed treatments also include two Roche products.

Dr Schwan said: “It is really very, very sad for patients, and I have no understanding how this decision was made. There is a fundamental flaw in how the UK operates when it comes to pricing for medicines.”

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The Cancer Drugs Fund was launched in 2011 to pay for treatment deemed by drug-rationing watchdog Nice to be too expensive for routine use.

“Nice should be reformed so the drugs are routinely provided. The problem is that Nice decisions are based on calculating the cost of giving patients an extra ‘quality’ year of life, he said. If that cost is deemed to be above £30,000, or £50,000 for seriously ill patients, the drug is not funded,” Dr Schwan noted.

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Source-Medindia