Scotland OKs Femara: rest of UK waits

Breast cancer patients in Scotland can receive treatment on the National Health Service using Swiss drug major Novartis' Femara (letrozole), following an announcement by the Scottish Medicines Consortium.

No NICE verdict for at least six months

Patients in the rest of the UK will not be assured of this treatment for at least a further six months, pending a decision by the equivalent agency for England and Wales, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). This opens the possibility of more complaints about the time taken by the NICE to issue treatment recommendations (Marketletters passim).