Open For Debate

Sarah Houlton
The UK's pharmaceutical industry has called for a public debate to discuss access to modern medicines. This follows in the wake of some severe criticism of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the agency charged with determining which medicines should be paid for by the National Health Service (NHS).

According to the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry's (ABPI) current president, AstraZeneca UK chairman Chris Brinsmead, a frank, open, and honest debate is in the best interests of patients. "We are calling for the patient groups, healthcare charities, doctors, government, NICE, and the NHS to join with the pharmaceutical industry to debate these crucial issues and hammer out a lasting solution," said Brinsmead. "The time has come to discuss how we best resolve the issue, and where better than on a public platform?"

NICE and its decisions have been the subject of much public scrutiny throughout its nine-year existence, but in recent weeks the level of outrage has grown. Hot on the heels of its refusal to recommend reimbursement for four kidney cancer drugs comes a U-turn on Lucentis (ranibizumab), the Novartis drug to treat wet age-related macular degeneration.