Farmindustria warns on Italy's cancer drug access

The president of Italy's research-based pharmaceutical association, Farmindustria, Sergio Dompe, has welcomed the publication of data by the  social research institute Celsis, which shows improved cancer  survival rates in the country in recent years. Mr Dompe said: "a  culture of prevention with more common diagnostic tools and  increasingly targeted surgical procedures, as well as the fruit of  new drug research, have led to this important result for people affected  by these diseases." He noted that, from January 2000 to December 2007,  1,389 clinical trials, or 27.8% of all studies carried out in Italy,  have been for oncology agents.

However, the Farmindustria president warned that other research has  found a patchy performance of the health care system to ensure access  to treatment across the country: a national average of 230 days between  a cancer drug's approval and its availability to patients can vary from  145 to 284 days according to location.