Meeting of the Parliament 20 June 2018
I refer members to my entry in the register of interests, which shows that I am a registered mental health nurse and that I currently hold an honorary contract with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Like other members who are present, I know constituents and friends who have either had or been affected by breast cancer or cystic fibrosis. Those illnesses impact not only on the patient, but on the families and friends who support them. As many members across the chamber have, I have heard heartbreaking stories from constituents whose lives have been turned upside down by breast cancer and cystic fibrosis. For that reason, I fully applaud the tenacious campaigns that are being led by Breast Cancer Now and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust calling on authorities to widen access to medicines for such conditions. Those organisations’ campaigning has helped to educate MSPs and the wider public on the merits of widening access to the drugs. For that we owe them a debt of gratitude.
As we have heard, the Scottish Government has in recent years significantly improved access to new medicines. Figures show that between 2011 and 2013, the combined acceptance rate for orphan and cancer medicines was 48 per cent, whereas in the past three years, under the new approach, the Scottish Medicines Consortium has approved 79 per cent of such medicines. There can be no doubt that those drugs have changed lives.
However, we can always improve and build on our processes and learn from our experiences and from evidence-based best practice from other nations. I welcome the Government’s commitment, following the recommendations that were laid out in the Montgomery report, to reform the systems that are currently in place and to introduce changes that will enable medicines to get to the people who need them. As we have heard, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport announced only yesterday that the Scottish Government is introducing a new definition of ultra-orphan medicines, which will give the Scottish Medicines Consortium the ability to treat some medicines for rare orphan diseases as ultra-orphan medicines. In effect, the changes will mean that if a medicine meets the new definition of an ultra-orphan medicine and the SMC considers it to be clinically effective, it will be made available on the NHS for at least three years while information on its effectiveness is gathered.
That is one of a number of steps that are being taken to ensure that access to vital medicines is widened. With those new rules for medicines, faster access to new treatments will become a reality.
I wish to reiterate that medicine approval decisions are not taken by MSPs or the Government. That is the role of the Scottish Medicines Consortium, which, as the cabinet secretary has rightly said, acts independent of ministers and Parliament. Nobody wants to be in a situation in which certain medicines are rejected, but it is entirely appropriate that such decisions are taken carefully, based on clinical evidence, and made by an independent body.
As others have done, I welcome Roche’s announcement that it is to make a new submission to the SMC on Perjeta. I urge Vertex to do likewise for Orkambi as quickly as possible. However, we cannot allow our health service to be held to ransom by pharmaceutical companies, so we must encourage them to offer fair and transparent prices for their products. Everyone here agrees that we want such drugs to be made available to the people of Scotland, but there must be fairness in the cost of the drugs that are supplied. I therefore welcome the commitment that has been made by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry that its members will provide Scotland with the same discounts that are offered elsewhere in the UK for accessing medications.
Today, Parliament has spoken with one clear voice, calling all pharmaceutical companies to play their part and to bring a fair price to drug appraisal processes the first time. It is quite right that people should not lose out to profits.
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