“Significant improvements” must be made to the way patients access new medicines, according to a Scottish Parliament committee.
Holyrood’s health committee said the process needed to be trusted by the public and members “remained concerned” very little had been done, despite recommendations to improve the system.
It called on the Scottish Government to address issues around individual patient treatment requests (IPTR), value-based pricing, area drug and therapeutic committees and clinical trials.
Health Secretary Alex Neil said: “Access to new medicines is a complicated and important issue and we must ensure that further improvements to the system are taken after very careful consideration.”
Scottish Labour’s health spokesman Neil Findlay MSP, said: “The system as it stands isn’t fit for purpose.
“But despite the growing evidence of its failure, the SNP have dragged their heels on reforming the system.”
