Two drug companies have attacked a decision to remove their treatments from a fund designed to give access to expensive therapies in England.

The Cancer Drugs Fund is overspent and 42 drugs are being reassessed as price caps are brought in for the first time. 

Pharmaceutical companies say they are "outraged" at a "fundamentally flawed" decision that will damage patient care.

NHS England said the current system was unsustainable and that there were new drugs "that will do more for patients". 

Drugs have to be cost-effective for the NHS to make them routinely available.

Prime Minister David Cameron set up a separate pot of money in 2010 to give patients access to expensive drugs, irrespective of cost. 

To say that we are disappointed by this decision would be a gross understatement, we are outraged”

The £280m-a-year Cancer Drugs Fund is hugely popular and has been used by about 55,000 people.

But as things stand it expects to be £100m over budget by the end of the financial year.

A full NHS England announcement on which drugs are being struck off the approved list is expected on Monday, but rejected drugs companies have started to break ranks.

Sanofi says a prostate cancer drug, Jevtana, is being pulled. 

Zaltrap, a bowel cancer drug that can extend life after a tumour has spread, has also been removed.

Tarja Stenvall, the company's general manager, said: "We are hugely shocked and disappointed at this decision against Jevtana. 

"We believe NHS England's process for reviewing drugs currently listed on the Cancer Drugs Fund has been fundamentally flawed. 

"It was arbitrary, inflexible and relied on very questionable evaluation criteria that were not independently verified or endorsed."

For more details, go to: http://www.bbc.com/news/health-30716205