26 February 2014 - An overhaul in the way lifesaving drugs are approved for use in Scotland could leave a £50 million black hole in NHS coffers, MSPs have been warned.

Soaring costs are feared because of an additional 1,500 patients getting vital drugs they need in the first year of the new system.

The changes to the current set-up are being introduced after concerns that stricken patients found too many barriers in getting treatments for life-limiting and rare conditions on the NHS.

The cost of increasing the amount of drugs needed has previously been put at £70m – but Holyrood’s health committee was told yesterday this could hit £120m. This is mainly down to drug firms putting forward fresh submissions for treatments that have previously been rejected.

For more details. go to: http://www.scotsman.com/news/health/new-nhs-drugs-to-create-50m-black-hole-1-3320124