The government has announced a £50 million injection of capital to pay for new cancer drugs for very sick patients.  From October this year, doctors in England will be able to offer cancer drugs that have not been approved by NICE.

The move from the coalition government comes in response to the news that the UK lags behind many developed countries in providing the latest cancer drugs to its cancer sufferers.  Health secretary Andrew Lansley commented “I promised that I would help patients in England get cancer drugs that are readily available in the rest of Europe.”

The report, from government cancer Tsar Professor Sir Mike Richards, also looked at drug use for other diseases cuch as heart disease, dementia and arthritis.   He also indicated that this increased access to a wider range of latest drugs would not improve survival rates.

What could this mean for people who hold private health insurance policies?    Currently, most insurers look to NICE for guidance on approval for drugs for private medical treatment.  Insurers will probably continue to do so but will be considering the government initiative.