Part of 3. 3. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:33 pm on 20 September 2017.
Cabinet Secretary, I know that you are aware of my concerns about access to medicines generally, and I’m grateful to you for meeting with me previously to discuss Avastin. And I do understand the difficulties, but I think we also have to recognise that it’s very difficult for people to understand that something can be made available in Scotland, and in England, and not in Wales. I have raised with you previously my concerns about the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group, and the transparency involved, and also the levels of engagement with the drugs manufacturers, which does appear to vary between the different countries in the UK.
So, I would like to ask whether this is something you will take another look at, to check that the AWMSG has done absolutely everything possible to engage with the manufacturer—in this instance, Roche. But you also mentioned price. I would be grateful if you could advise whether there have been any discussions between AWMSG and Roche about obtaining a suitable patient access scheme that would bring down the cost, and enable this to be made available to patients in Wales.