UK patients less likely than other Europeans to receive innovative drugs for cancer and chronic diseases, DoH study finds

A comprehensive report comparing the use of medicines in the UK with that in other countries was published yesterday by the UK Department of Health, showing that Britain still lags behind comparable countries in Europe and elsewhere on its use of newer cancer treatments and medicines for chronic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and dementia under the National Health Service.

For the uptake of cancer medicines less than five years old, the figures show that the UK's average ranking out of 14 countries worldwide is 12, above only Canada and New Zealand - and is therefore the worst amongst comparable European countries. However, the UK fares better in the prescribing of medicines for the prevention of death from cardiovascular disease.

For some disease areas, high usage may be a sign of weaknesses at other points in the care pathway and low usage a sign of effective disease prevention, the report stated. Equally, for others, low usage may imply that patients' needs are not being met effectively and high usage may imply that patients are receiving the best treatment. This report does not seek to identify a correct level of utilization, but rather to identify where variations exist and to provide potential explanations for them, said National Cancer Director and head of the review Professor Sir Michael Richards, in a letter to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.