The Scottish Government has again promised to double the amount of money to fund treatments for rare or end-of-life conditions, increasing that available through its New Medicines Fund from £40 million to £80 million in 2015/16.

The Fund was initially set up with a £20 million cash pot for 2013/14 to replace Rare Conditions Medicines Fund and better support health boards in funding the cost of orphan, ultra-orphan and end-of-life drugs for patients.

Scotland’s Health Secretary Shona Robison said the NMF - which comes from the nation’s health budget but is essentially financed by the rebate made to the Scottish government by the pharmaceutical industry under the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRs) - has helped give patients access to some of the most-advanced treatments and therapies.

“This Government, working with the Scottish Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee, has radically overhauled access to treatments for people with rare and end-of-life conditions, and the New Medicines Fund has been key to removing a potential barrier to accessing expensive new drugs,” she said.

For more details, go to: http://www.pharmatimes.com/Article/15-05-18/Scotland_doubles_cash_for_new_medicines_fund.aspx