The rising tide of protest over the refusal by the UK's NHS to provide expensive drugs for cancer and other conditions is being funded by the pharmaceutical industry, an investigation by The Independent has revealed.
Patient groups that have been among the most vocal in spearheading attacks on the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) over decisions to restrict access to drugs on the NHS depend for up to half of their income on drug companies, but details are often undisclosed.
The growing clamour over decisions by NICE to ban access to certain drugs has outraged patients and the public, and undermined confidence in the NHS.
Protests have been launched by charities including the National Kidney Federation, the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance, the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, Beating Bowel Cancer, the Royal National Institute for the Blind and the Alzheimer's Society. All of these charities received sums of up to six figures from drug companies in 2007.
More at The Indy
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