Investigation into UK Cancer Drugs Fund shows it is 50% over budget

The UK’s National Audit Office has published the findings from its investigation into the Cancer Drugs Fund, concluding it is no longer sustainable in its current form, and NHS England should develop proposals for reform.

The government set up the Fund in 2010 to improve access to cancer drugs that would not otherwise be routinely available on the National Health Service in England.

The Fund is unique in that no other condition has a dedicated fund to provide access to drugs not routinely available on the NHS. It was initially intended to run until March 2014, with a budget of £650 million (~$1 billion), while a long-term pricing mechanism was worked out that would allow patients access to the drugs and treatments that their doctors thought would help them. In 2013, the government extended the Fund until March 2016. The Fund now has a total lifetime budget of £1.27 billion.