Pharmatimes.com has reported that there is a wide gap between England, Wales and Scotland in terms of access to life-extending cancer treatments.

England has 24 treatments not routinely available in Wales, and 23 similarly limited in Scotland. A Welsh patient is five times less likely to receive novel cancer drugs, and a Scottish patient three times less likely than their English counterparts. The costs to improve this care has been estimated by the Rarer Cancers Foundation (RCF) at £3.3 million in Wales, rising to £10 million over three years, and £5 million in Scotland, rising to £20 million.

 The RCF believes the Scottish and Welsh governments have shown a “concerning degree of complacency” in regards to cancer treatments. However, the governments have replied, arguing that certain processes and appeals can grant access to cancer drugs unavailable generally. Andrew Wilson, chief executive of the RCF calls the divide “devastating,” with access to cancer drugs restricted by where a patient lives at odds with the rest of the NHS. The RCF is pressing for a Cancer Drugs Fund, which has benefitted thousands across England, to be put in place in Scotland and Wales as well.

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The government’s Health and Social Care Bill is coming under criticism from campaigners, reports pharmatimes.com.

Events are planned to coincide with the report stage of the Bill, as well as a candlelight vigil being held outside Parliament when MPs vote on the Bill. UNISON, the UK’s biggest public sector trade union, believes that the Bill will reduce the quality of patient care, waste money and lead to more restrictions as costs are wrapped up in hospital bureaucracy. Labour health spokesman, John Healey, also criticised the limited time MPs will be given to look at and debate the proposals.

Pressure group 38 Degrees believes a review of the Bill shows that it will “increase competition within the NHS at the expense of collaboration and integration.” This is because the group understands that the Secretary of State for Health will have certain powers removed. However, the government has replied, saying that the Secretary will be responsible for providing “a comprehensive health service.”

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The UK government has announced an £800 million investment into transatlantic healthcare research and development, reports pharmatimes.com.

The “unprecedented” investment is to be put into developing NHS partnerships with universities through the National Institute for Health Research. Collaborations with industry and charities will mean that the UK should become a world leader in regards to health research.

Funding will be provided for biomedical centres and patients with diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Prime Minister David Cameron has said the investment will “ensure [the UK] continues to be at the cutting edge” of biomedical research. Sir John Bell, president of the Academy of Medical Sciences, says the investments into healthcare are “positioning the UK as a preferred site for clinical development by the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.”

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NHS manager Alam Kahn, in an article for the Guardian, has reported on how the NHS is taking part in a scheme to employ people in mental health services.

Twenty two graduates from a pool of sixty have been selected for jobs with a starting maximum salary of £21,000. The sixty graduates took part in a one year course which involved three days a week working in a trust and two days studying for a diploma.

Kahn believes that the scheme will encourage others to take up roles within mental health services, something not seen as appealing compared to traditional medical roles. However, as Kahn points out, with a psychotherapist earning £43,000 and psychiatrists earning upwards of £53,000, the lack of interest is baffling. Something that Kahn acknowledges can be off-putting is the need for professional registration, needing experience, training qualification and a proof of competence.

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Neil Bibby, a Member of the Scottish Parliament, is fighting to save a children’s ward supporting 150 NHS jobs at the Paisley Royal Alexandria Hospital, reports paisleydailyexpress.co.uk.

The closing of the ward is expected to save £1 million annually, but the closure of a children’s ward and loss of so many jobs has caused Mr Bibby to call for the scrapping of the plans in the Scottish Parliament. He has received support from several other MSP. Mr Bibby has stated that the issue of closure has shown “the desire of the community to protect the children’s ward.”

The pressure that would be placed on Glasgow hospital by the closure of Paisley’s ward, and loss of jobs, seems to Mr Bibby to be “motivated by money rather than quality of service.” An NHS spokesman has said that a review is taking into account the opinions of patients and their families, so that if the review concludes there is a need for change their can be “a full public engagement.”

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Medicaldevices-business-review.com has reported that Thermo Fisher Scientific has introduced a new Clinical Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) to support their clinical laboratories.

The LIMS is designed to improve management of lab data and improves communication between physicians and those working within a lab environment. The technology also allows those involved in clinical and molecular diagnostics access to lab and patient data, and gives them a platform through which to effectively manage the data they are given.

Foundation Medicine is using Thermo’s LIMS for cancer diagnostic tests. Foundation’s CEO Michael Pellini said the information will allow doctors to target the molecular subtype of each cancer. Dave Champagne, vice-president of Thermo Fisher Scientific  believes the LIMS has plugged a gap that means results can be sent from lab directly to the patients bedside.

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Inpharm.com has reported that French pharmaceutical company Sanofi has taken a on a new chief strategy officer, Dr David-Alexandre Gros.

Dr Gros will oversee the entire group’s business development and acquisition deals, as well as strategic planning and intelligence and the economic evaluation of projects at Sanofi.

Chief executive of Sanofi, Christopher Viehbacher believes Dr. Gros “brings a wealth of experience as a physician, strategic consultant and investment banker.” The Sanofi group hopes that Dr Gros will be able to significantly contribute to Sanofi’s strategy and the improvement of certain aspects within the company.

Dr Gros joins Sanofi following advising various pharmaceutical and biotechnological companies in addition to establishing the Healthcare Investment Banking division at Centerview Partners, California.

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The NHS drug budget is expected to reach £15 billion by 2014, reports Bloomberg.com.

The increase represents a £400 million growth year on year, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry has said, citing forecasts by leading members in the industry.

Almost two thirds of prescriptions are to over 65s in Britain, therefore it is the aging population that is driving this growth. The NHS spends less than ten per cent of its budget on drugs and medication, down three per cent in the last decade. The use of new medicines, including cancer medicines, accounts for ten per cent of the NHS budget, with the use of new cancer medicines a third of that of the rest of Europe.

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Pharmatimes.com has reported that the new NHS Commissioning Board should see pharmaceutical and medical technology suppliers as partners in innovation.

This was the advice of NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson, in his initial thoughts on the newly created Board. Sir David has made public his initial ideas before the Board’s proposals have been passed so as to give “a sense of direction” to those involved and external partners who will also be included in the Board’s actions.

The Board will need to develop close links to clinical commissioning groups, the pharmaceutical industry, patient groups and other organisations in order to fully utilise its capabilities. The Board is subject to the passing of the Health and Social Care Bill, and should this bill be successful, then Sir David believes the Board will be fully established by April 2013.

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