GSK chief accuses Government of blocking new cancer drugs

UK Government is systematically delaying the approval and introduction of innovative new cancer drugs to achieve short-term savings, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) CEO Sir Andrew Witty said.

Sir Andrew, the chief of the UK’s largest drugs company, said that the Government was making false economies to hack deficit in the public finances.

In an interview with the BBC, Sir Andrew also accused governments across the continent of hacking drug prices by 5 per cent a year, costing the company around £300 million a year.

Speaking on the topic, he added, “The bit I’m much more frightened about is that what’s now beginning to become clear is that, in addition to price reductions, governments are delaying the approval of innovative new drugs.”

Oncology Professor Jonathan Waxman, at Imperial College London, said that Government had been blocking several new cancer drugs, even though they had offered real benefits for patients.

On the other hand, the Department of Health argued that it had made no changes to the assessment process for cancer drugs.

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Submitted by John Monteiro