Drug manufacturers have been accused of demanding too much money for life-extending medication after a second cutting-edge breast cancer treatment within a month was ruled to be too expensive for the NHS.

Perjeta, also known as pertuzumab, was yesterday turned down by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC), which decided that despite the treatment extending patients' lives for an average of 16 months, it was not worth the price tag, which is £105,000 per six-month course.

The rejection comes four weeks after Kadcyla, another highly effective breast cancer drug, was rejected after experts baulked at its £80,000 cost.

The latest decision was met with dismay from cancer ­charities, which appeared to blame the drug's manufacturer Roche, rather than the SMC, for the ruling. Health Secretary Alex Neil called on the firm to lower its price.

It is understood that although Perjeta was turned down by the SMC in October last year due to its cost, Roche offered no price reduction in its latest application. 

Despite the submission being considered under new rules designed to make it easier for drugs to be approved, the SMC panel said it could not justify its widespread use within the health service.

Roche responded by saying it was disappointed with the ­decision, which it claimed had been taken despite recent data showing "unprecedented" benefits of its product compared to drugs currently available.

Jayson Dallas, general manager of Roche, said: "This has changed the course of breast cancer treatment as we know it and we are disappointed that such ­innovation cannot currently be made available to patients via the NHS in Scotland."

For more details, go to: http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/health/price-cut-call-as-cancer-drug-rejected-for-routine-nhs-use.25830560