• Question: If you found a cure for cancer would you make it free on the NHS?

    Asked by megangittins to Kiran on 15 Mar 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Kiran Meekings

      Kiran Meekings answered on 15 Mar 2010:

      Good question Meg…That wouldn’t be my decision, that’s the decision of a body called NICE, who decide what drug’s the NHS are going to pay for. NICE analyse each drug on its own merits and decide whether or not they are going to cover it. They do this using several measures – they look at how much it’ll cost (the most expensive cancer drugs cost over £50,000 per year – that’s a lot!) and what effect it has on a patient’s life – that is, do they improve their quality of life? and does the drug make them live longer? They have decided that the cut off point is £38,000 per extra year of life. Sooooo if a drug costs £40,000 and prolongs your life for a year, it won’t be free on the NHS but if it costs £30,000 it will.

      Does that make sense?

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