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Macmillan and Cancerbackup merged in 2008. Together we provide free, high quality information for people affected by cancer through our publications, website and phone service. Find out more|.
Find out how we produce our information|
Primary Care Trusts need to make sure the drugs and treatments they fund are of clear benefit to the people in their area. They need to make sure they are spending their money wisely, helping as many people as possible.
This means that they may decide some drugs and treatments are not available automatically. Usually, PCTs keep a list of drugs or treatments that are not automatically funded.
Whether or not a drug or treatment is funded in individual cases will be decided by a panel of members of the PCT. This can include people from different professional backgrounds, not just health.
Cancer drugs or treatments might not be automatically funded if it's not clear how effective they are, if they haven’t been proven to be more effective than other treatments, or if the PCT decides that the possible benefits of the drug don't justify the costs.
The effectiveness of a drug or treatment may be decided after trials have been done and when decisions are made by NICE| or the SMC |(Scottish Medicines Consortium).
We have more information on how treatments are made available|, which you may find helpful.
For answers, support or just a chat, call the Macmillan Support Line free (Monday to Friday, 9am-8pm)
If you have any questions about cancer, need support or just want someone to talk to, ask Macmillan.