Comment / NHS England consultation on cancer drugs fund

NHS England has launched a consultation on proposals for a revised cancer drugs fund (CDF). The current arrangements for the CDF are due to end in March 2016 and, in light of this and the escalating cost of the fund, NHS England has called for new arrangements to be in place from April.

The CDF was established in 2010 with a budget of £200m, but this has increased to £340m for the current financial year. While NHS England recognised that the fund had unlocked access to treatment for a large number of patients, the current model did not allow sustainable access to innovative treatments.

It added that an increasing share of the cancer budget was being directed to less cost-effective treatments, towards patients’ end of life, and this was having an impact on other areas of the cancer pathway. Under the proposals, the fund will be integrated into the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence appraisal process. The CDF will become a transitional fund, with clear criteria for entry and exit. ?The consultation closes on 11 February.