NHS accused of denying women lifesaving breast cancer drug
'Bureaucratic inertia' stopping thousands of patients from receiving 43p-a-day medication, says charity

A lifesaving and inexpensive breast cancer drug is being denied to thousands of patients, claims a leading charity.
"Women's lives are needlessly being put at risk," says Breast Cancer Now chief executive Baroness Delyth Morgan.
The drug, bisphosphonate, which costs 43p a day, is normally used to treat osteoporosis but has also proven effective at stopping breast cancer from spreading in post-menopausal women.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"These are cheap and widely available drugs and the overwhelming evidence of their ability to save lives should have changed practice by now," Morgan added.
Breast Cancer Now blamed confusion over who should pay for the drug for the hold-up, which it described as "bureaucratic inertia", Sky News reports.
The charity also called for clear national guidance on funding, arguing that as research showed the drug could prevent one in ten breast cancer deaths, the NHS would save money in the long-term as bone density scans would not be needed and fewer patients would go on to develop secondary breast cancer.
Professor Ian Smith, the chairman of the Breast Cancer Clinical Reference Group, said it was "deeply concerning" that such an inexpensive treatment was not being made available to all who could benefit.
"In order to deliver the best quality breast cancer care to UK patients, the introduction of these drugs for all eligible women must now be our top priority," he said.
NHS England said funding decisions on the drug were currently made on a local level, but it was awaiting new advice from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
How Zohran Mamdani's NYC mayoral run will change the Democratic Party
Talking Points The candidate poses a challenge to the party's 'dinosaur wing'
-
Book reviews: '1861: The Lost Peace' and 'Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers'
Feature How America tried to avoid the Civil War and the link between lead pollution and serial killers
-
Brian Wilson: the troubled genius who powered the Beach Boys
Feature The musical giant passed away at 82
-
How the care industry came to rely on migrant workers
The Explainer Government crackdown on recruiting workers abroad risks deepening care sector crisis, industry leaders warn
-
Could medics' misgivings spell the end of the assisted dying bill?
Today's Big Question The Royal College of Psychiatrists has identified 'serious concerns' with the landmark bill – and MPs are taking notice
-
Washwood Heath: Birmingham's pioneering neighbourhood health service
In the Spotlight NHS England chair says there is a 'really good argument this is the model for the future'
-
The UK's first legal drug consumption room
The Explainer 'Potentially transformative moment in UK drugs policy' as The Thistle opens in Glasgow
-
How can the UK solve the adult social care crisis?
Today's Big Question New commission announced to turn our buckling care sector around: yet more delay or finally a way forward?
-
Should blood donors be paid?
The Explainer Financial rewards would help fill NHS shortfall but bring risk of contamination and exploitation, WHO warns
-
UK gynaecological care crisis: why thousands of women are left in pain
The Explainer Waiting times have tripled over the past decade thanks to lack of prioritisation or funding for women's health
-
A 'transformative' gene therapy for haemophilia B
The Explainer Costly treatment that could be 'truly life-changing' for patients with rare blood disorder gets funding boost