New drugs approval 'too complex'

18 September 2012 Last updated at 11:19 ET

MSPs have been hearing about the apparent postcode lottery on the prescribing of new drugs.

Holyrood's health committee was told that across Scotland on average a third of requests for new medicines were rejected.

Doctors and politicians criticised the process branding it "overly complex".

However, the Scottish government rejected the postcode lottery claim, saying patients were treated on a case by case basis.

The committee heard from representatives of the Scottish Medicines Consortium, clinicians and drug companies.

This is not a 'lottery' - these arrangements provide an opportunity for NHS boards to consider the needs of individual patients on a case by case basis, based on their expert clinical opinion

Labour committee member, Dr Richard Simpson said he was concerned about the disparate nature of prescribing, with 14 different bodies making different decisions.

He questioned the inconsistency across Scotland by saying: "If you have your heart attack in the west of the country, you will get access to a new drug, if it's in the east, you won't or vice versa, consistency is lacking in the system."

Under the current rules, the Scottish Medicines Consortium approves a new medicine and individual doctors and clinicians make the decision on prescribing.

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New drugs approval 'too complex'