Project Orbis: More Cancer Drugs Available In Scotland Than England

The UK joined Project Orbis in 2021 with the aim of speeding up the regulatory process for promising cancer drugs, but fewer than half of the drugs licensed under this pathway are available on the NHS in England.

Scotland England — • Source: Shutterstock

The UK’s medicines regulator, the MHRA, has authorized a total of 17 drugs for oncology indications under the Project Orbis pathway since joining the international regulatory collaboration in 2021, but just five of these are available to National Health Service patients in England on a routine basis.

Nine of the UK’s Orbis approvals to date were initial licensing applications for new drugs, while eight were for indication...