The Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) for England was set up in 2011 as a response to public pressure to fund access to drugs for cancer conditions, which might not be reimbursed under standard technology assessment criteria. Originally intended as a temporary arrangement as a bridge to implementation of Value Based Pricing, in 2016 it was revised and extended to become a comprehensive managed access scheme for new medicines in cancer, with clear entry and exit criteria. The CDF now accepts referrals from committees undertaking NICE single technology assessments where the evidence of effectiveness or cost-effectiveness at the time of the appraisal is considered uncertain, but it is plausible that the drug is effective and cost-effective and that availability of new data within a reasonable time-period (typically two to three years) will resolve this uncertainty. New data may come from ongoing trials or specific analyses of observational datasets such as the UK cancer registry (SACT). Drugs are entered into the CDF using a managed access agreement with a specific commitment to provide relevant data to a subsequent (follow-up) technology appraisal, at which point a decision is made for routine funding (or not) and the drug leaves the CDF. The revision of the CDF came with a commitment to earlier initiation of NICE appraisals, so that final guidance is issued within 90 days of marketing authorisation, where possible.
How to cite: Cancer Drugs Fund (UK) [online]. (2016). York; York Health Economics Consortium; 2016. https://yhec.co.uk/glossary/cancer-drugs-fund-uk/