UK falling behind Europe on cancer drug access, warns ABPI report
The UK is falling behind Europe in access to new cancer medicines, with limited NHS uptake and underinvestment linked to poorer patient outcomes, according to a report by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).
Drawing on comparative data from the Swedish Institute for Health Economics, the analysis finds that the UK ranks 15th in Europe for uptake of newer cancer medicines and is among the lowest spenders among the five largest EU economies on cancer drugs.
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In 2023, the UK spent €17,537 (£15,109) per cancer case - below France (€27,305/£23,525), Germany (€23,114/£19,914) and the EU average (€19,873/£17,121).
Cancer care spending per person was also lower than the EU average, at €219 (£189) per capita, compared with €260 (£224).
The report highlighted a mismatch between the burden of cancer and spending on medicines.
While cancer accounts for 26% of UK deaths, just 5% of total healthcare spending goes on cancer medicines. In contrast, major EU economies such as France, Germany, Italy and Spain allocate closer to 7% on average.
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The report cited variable and sometimes slow NHS adoption as a key factor in the UK's position.
It also pointed to limited access to modern diagnostics such as next-generation sequencing (NGS). Across the UK, 0–24% of biopsies are tested with NGS, compared with over 50% in countries such as Denmark and Switzerland.
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The report warned that low investment and restricted access are undermining the UK's position as a global leader in cancer innovation and harming patient outcomes.
The ABPI has called for a number of reforms, including increased investment in cancer medicines, improvements to clinical trial infrastructure and broader adoption of diagnostic tools across the NHS.
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