The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 267 No 7178 p839-846
15 December 2001

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More funding needed to implement NICE decisions, say MPs

Members of Parliament believe that health authorities should be given additional funding in order to implement recommendations made by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, according to a survey carried out for the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.

The survey of a representative sample of 104 MPs, carried out by pollsters MORI, found that two-thirds wanted to see specific additional funding given to health authorities. More than 80 per cent hoped that NICE would drive up standards of health care but fewer than 40 per cent believed that NICE will actually achieve this.

Dr Trevor Jones, director general of the ABPI said: "The concerns of politicians about the impact of NICE reflect those of both patients and the pharmaceutical industry. The challenge remains to make sure that patients get the benefit that modern medicines can offer, and that NICE and the National Health Service encourage better treatment rather than bar it."

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