Cancer Research UK : Latest News

Cancer Research UK supports Sustrans

Some of the most health-deprived areas of the UK stand to benefit if a £50m Lottery bid from Sustrans is successful. Sustrans’ ‘Connect2’ Lottery bid would use the money to encourage active travel by developing new local walking and cycling routes, building bridges and improving neighbourhood environments. Six million people in communities around the UK, including over half a million school children, live within a mile of the proposed Connect2 projects.

Sustrans, the UK’s leading sustainable transport charity, is up against 5 other projects in the Big Lottery Fund’s Living Landmarks: the People’s Millions competition. The winner, which will receive a single grant of up to £50 million, will be decided by TV vote in December. To find out more about Connect2 and register your support visit the Sustrans Connect2 website. or text Connect2 to 80010.

Cancer Research UK doubles research funding

Cancer Research UK funded a record £315m of research last year. The milestone marks nearly a doubling in research funding since the Charity was formed five years ago, according to its annual report and accounts published this month.

The Charity's annual spend on research investigating the causes and improving the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer, increased by £64m (26 per cent) on the previous year, making Cancer Research UK the largest single independent funder of cancer research in Europe.

This will help us to make even more of an impact on the lives of your constituents, as one in three people will be affected by cancer at some stage in their lives.

Chief Executive, Harpal Kumar, said: "Over the past year thousands of lives have been saved through improved cancer treatments, earlier detection and effective health awareness campaigns. "Over the coming year, we will review two hard-to-treat cancers, oesophageal and pancreatic cancer, to identify research that may help to prevent, diagnose or treat these diseases in the future. "The process of scientific research is hugely expensive but it is more than worth the investment. The improved survival rates we are now seeing for many types of cancer are proof that cancer research delivers results."

Cancer Research UK is dedicated to research into the causes, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of every type of cancer. It funds over 4,250 research scientists, doctors and nurses throughout the UK. The charity aims to increase its research expenditure to £400m by 2010 to continue this vital work.

The high level of success was made possible by strong fundraising efforts, by the amazing generosity of our supports – both in money and time. The Charity's flagship Race for Life women-only series of 5km runs saw 740,000 women participating and raising £59m - an event unmatched in the UK charity sector. More than a third of the research funding came from legacies left to the charity and over half came from small gifts and regular donations.

Towards a Smokefree Society Conference

Research from Scotland and across the world is highlighting the fact that Smokefree Legislation alone is not the end in the challenge for a smokefree society. The Towards a Smokefree Society Conference will present dramatic new evidence on the impact of Smokefree Legislation, drawing attention to areas where further work needs to be done and outlining future directions for tobacco control.

The conference programme can be found on the Smokefree Conference 2007 website.

European Conference Tobacco or Health 2007

The ECToH 07 conference will take place in Basel from 11th to 13th October. The event presents tobacco prevention and control experts from over 40 European countries with a valuable opportunity to share knowledge and experience as well as to establish and renew personal contacts. All presentations and discussions at the opening sessions, morning plenary sessions and concluding event will be held and translated simultaneously in English, German and French.

The official website is updated continuously, and includes a detailed program of events.

Health Select Committee inquiry into the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

Cancer Research UK has responded to the House of Commons Health Select Committee call for evidence on the work of the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE). We have highlighted a number of issues where we think that NICE's processes could be improved, and commented on possible future roles for NICE in the availability of cancer treatments to patients in the NHS.

In particular, we have highlighted the need to address the problems caused by the interaction between the current NICE approach, and the system by which the price of treatments are set within the NHS under the current pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme.

For more information, please read the consultation response.

Office of Fair Trading: Report on the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme

The Office of Fair Trading has published the results of an 18-month market study on the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS). The study recommends that the current 'profit-cap and price-cut' scheme be replaced with a ‘patient-focused, value-based’ pricing scheme, in which the prices the NHS pays for medicines reflect the therapeutic benefits they bring to patients.

The study proposes two options under which the prices of on-patent branded prescription drugs could be set according to value-based principles:

Ex post value-based pricing – retaining upfront freedom of pricing for companies, this will replace company-wide profit controls and price cuts with a series of reviews of the cost effectiveness of individual drugs or drug classes, conducted some years after launch.
Ex ante value-based pricing – to run alongside the ex-post reviews, to involve a fast-track assessment of a new drug's cost effectiveness and a more accurate value-based price setting before launch. This would be followed by further reviews as new clinical evidence emerged of effectiveness. The OFT has stated that they favour this model in the longer term.

There is also some discussion of the costing of off-brand medicines, and whether these should be able to command higher prices than generic drugs.

The Government has 90 days to formally respond to the findings and recommendations of this study. Cancer Research UK will be sending its views to the Departments of Health and Trade & Industry and seeking active engagement in further discussions with Government on this topic.