ESMO 2014: Canada and Europe sometimes years slower than USA in approving cancer

Access to potentially life-extending cancer drugs varies significantly in different regions of the world, two new studies presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2014 Congress taking place in Madrid, Spain.

Researchers say the results demonstrate the need for better collaboration between doctors and health authorities on an international scale, to ensure patients have access to the best treatments.

Coordinated action is needed at an international level to ensure new cancer-fighting drugs are approved in a timely manner, oncologists said at the Congress. Their call came after a survey revealed that patients in some regions sometimes wait years longer than their counterparts elsewhere for new drugs to be approved.