British cancer patients are being denied life-saving drugs and access to revolutionary treatments due to the red tape and extra costs brought on by Brexit, according to a leaked report obtained by the Guardian. The 54-page analysis, described as the most comprehensive of its kind, warns that while patients across Europe benefit from a golden age of pioneering research, Britons have 'lost out' as a result of rising prices and bureaucratic barriers.
The report, compiled by experts from Cancer Research UK, the University of Southampton, and the consultancy Hatch, highlights that the cost of importing new cancer drugs for NHS patients has nearly quadrupled in some cases since the UK left the EU. Shipping costs for some clinical trials have increased tenfold, creating 'new barriers' that are 'holding back life-saving research' for Britons.
Senior doctors told the Guardian that the impact has been devastating, with children among the NHS cancer patients whose tumours have returned or whose treatment has stopped working, leaving them in limbo and denied drugs that could extend or save their lives. The report cites evidence from leading clinicians, scientists, and researchers, and notes that three areas of UK cancer research have been hit particularly hard: the regulatory environment for clinical trials, the mobility of the cancer research workforce, and access to research funding and collaboration.
Among the specific examples cited is a case where the UK had to spend an extra £22,000 for an official to certify batches of aspirin for use in a cancer trial, despite the batches having already been checked in the EU. The report also reveals that the UK is needlessly duplicating drug testing in clinical trials involving the UK and EU, causing potentially deadly delays.
The government responded by stating that clinical trials are vital to millions of Britons with long-term conditions, and that ministers are committed to 'strengthening' the UK’s relationship with the EU on research. A spokesperson added that the government offers 'extensive support' for UK researchers to help them secure funding. However, experts such as Dr Martin McKee of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said the harm was 'inevitable' and 'predicted', while Mark Dayan of the Nuffield Trust described the findings as a 'stark reminder of the costs of leaving the EU'.
