UK Promises Better Access to Drugs for Patients with Rare Diseases

The UK Department of Health will commission expert assessments of the evidence on the use of off-label medicines for patients with rare diseases.

The UK Department of Health (DoH) has promised to improve the availability of drugs for patients with rare diseases, whose doctors may not be able to provide them with 'off label' medication.

According to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, the DoH will commission expert assessments of the evidence on the use of off-label medicines, designed to inform doctors' decision-making and patients' choices and not provide a yes or no recommendation.

Patients with rare diseases have limited access to medication as manufacturers are often unable to recruit enough of them to run a clinical trial.

In addition, the National Institute of Clinical Excellence cannot normally ap