Drugs ban blamed on ‘bureaucracy’

Patients in Scotland are being denied access to life-prolonging medicines through “bureaucracy”, MSPS have been told. Labour’s health spokesman Anas Sarwar called on the Scottish Government to take action to allow breast cancer patients who need Perjeta to be prescribed it, and cystic fibrosis suffers requiring Orkambi to be given that drug.

The independent body that approves medicines for routine use on the NHS in Scotland has turned down Perjeta three times on a cost basis.