Letter

Cancer drugs and copayments

Why not adopt the blacklist of yore?

BMJ 2008; 337 doi: 10.1136/bmj.a807 (Published 14 July 2008)
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a807

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  1. L Sam Lewis, general practitioner
  1. 1Surgery, Newport, Pembrokeshire SA42 0TJ
  1. sam{at}garthnewydd.freeserve.co.uk

    I suppose it is inevitable that the moral and political issue of copayment for cancer drugs will result in an arbitrary, bureaucratic directive, such as that offered by the unelected Lords Finlay and Crisp,1 whose rules I summarise:

    • (1) The drug or device is listed as one for which copayment is allowed.

    • (2) The patient should want the treatment (and have discussed the risks, etc).

    • (3) The clinician should have a reasonable belief that benefits outweigh the benefits of other treatment. …

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