Patients face wait for new cancer drug

An estimated 3,500 post-menopausal Scottish women are now eligible for treatment with Arimidex after surgery, which reduces the risk of breast cancer returning.

The delay in approving the drug in England was criticised, with Pamela Goldberg, chief executive of Breast Cancer Campaign, describing it as a "country postcode lottery". Unlike Scotland, England has no fast-track process for approving new drugs and patients must wait for the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to complete its more detailed assessment.