Applications for drugs like Herceptin will be made for patients by hospital consultants
An extra £4.8m is being given to the NHS in the South West to buy expensive cancer drugs.
NHS South West says the additional Department of Health money will enable more people to be treated with drugs like Herceptin.
Applications will be made by hospital consultants on behalf of patients and will then be considered by experts.
Dr Mike Durkin, medical director at the South West Strategic Health Authority, said "tough decisions" were ahead.
He said: "This interim fund will allow us to consider very rare cases where funding is not available through normal routes.
"This could be, for example, where a relatively new drug has not yet been considered by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence or for very rare cancers.
"For example, where a clinician can demonstrate that a specific drug not routinely funded by the NHS may provide real benefits for a patient."
He added: "Although the extra money will potentially extend life or improve the quality of life for a small number of additional patients this is a limited fund and we will inevitably face some very tough decisions."
- Published27 July 2010
- Published26 July 2010
