10 July 2018 - This study quantified the median time from European Union wide approval to first use for a sample of cancer medicines and number of launches in Belgium, Estonia, Scotland, and Sweden as of June 2015. 

In median, for a sample of 24 cancer medicines that obtained marketing authorisation between 2010 and 2014, the expected time from EU-wide marketing authorisation to first use of a medicine was shortest in Sweden, 3.1 months, followed by Scotland (9.3 months), Belgium (14.8 months), and Estonia (27.8 months). 

Median times to launch were longer for the entire sample of 46 cancer medicines that obtained marketing authorisation between 2000 and 2014. In the all-country model, medicines with shorter times to submission for reimbursement, local manufacturers headquarter (or local sales representative), and a Food and Drugs Administration priority review or a combination of expedited approval programs and medicines launched in Scotland and Sweden were associated with a higher hazard of launch.

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