22 June 2016 - The UK agency in charge of deciding which drugs the NHS will pay for has approved five different treatments, including medications for lung cancer and melanoma, in a coup for some of Europe’s biggest pharmaceutical companies.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recommended that drugs to treat lung cancer, high cholesterol, melanoma and a condition called hidradenitis, where sweat glands, in areas such as armpits and groin, become inflamed, leading to abscesses, boils and lesions, should be routinely funded across the NHS - albeit at heavily discounted prices.

The announcement is particularly good news for oncology-focused Swiss drugs giant Novartis, which is behind both of the cancer drugs. The pharmaceutical company's ceritinib treatment for non-small-cell lung cancer was approved by the European regulator more than a year ago, but NICE had originally refused to approve the late-stage cancer drug. The agency changed its mind after Novartis agreed to cut the price of the treatment, to make it “cost effective”, in NICE’s own words.

For more details, go to: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/06/21/uk-drugs-watchdog-nice-approves-five-new-treatments-in-coup-for/