The next day, Andrew Dillon, Chief Executive of the 'rationing body' NICE sent a letter of correction to the Mail:
NICE has never taken 9 years to make a recommendation to the NHS on the use of a new drug (New cancer drugs held up by the NHS for nine years, 16 May).
The gap between a new drug becoming available to prescribe and NICE guidance being published is around 5 months. The study, on which your article was based, included drugs that were licensed for use, in some cases, more than 5 years before NICE was established. Its conclusions are both misleading and unhelpful for those who rely on our advice.
Making sure that we provide advice on the best use of all important new drugs quickly remains our priority and we have the resources and the commitment to do it.
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Amazed to see that even the Today programme on R4 are now calling NICE the "NHS rationing body" as if there isn't an absolute and clear need for rigorous examination of facts before permiting Doctors to presribe drugs and such-like.
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