25 cancer drugs 'too expensive' for the NHS may be rationed within weeks 25 drugs, deemed too expensive for the NHS but available through the Cancer Drugs Fund, could be axed under new plans Includes all six breast cancer drugs prescribed to thousands in three years Campaigners fear change to the rules that take cost into account for the first time will lead to drugs being taken off the approved list £200 million Cancer Drugs Fund set up in April 2011 has led to 55,000 patients in England getting drugs banned by Nice, the NHS rationing body UK drug companies have written to Jeremy Hunt calling for urgent reform Urgent reforms are being demanded to stop thousands of cancer patients losing access to vital medicines. UK drug companies claim in an open letter to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt that the country faces going back to "clear rationing" within weeks. The UK still lags behind Germany, France and Italy in prescribing potentially lifesaving medicines to cancer patients and the situation will get worse, it is claimed. New plans are set to axe up to 25 drugs deemed too expensive for the NHS by the Cancer Drugs Fund, which was originally set up to improve access to vital medicines in England. They include all six breast cancer drugs that have been prescribed for thousands of women in the last three years. UK drug companies have written to health secretary Jeremy Hunt warning the country faces going back to 'clear rationing' of cancer drugs within weeks if drastic reforms are not made Campaigners fear a change to the rules that take cost into account for the first time will lead to them being taken off the approved list in a controversial two day "re-evaluation" process next month. Other drugs that may not survive the financial cull include Jevtana, used in prostate cancer, six drugs for bowel cancer, including Avastin, and Abraxane for pancreatic cancer. The £200million a year Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) which began in April 2011 has led to around 55,000 patients in England getting drugs banned on the NHS by Nice, the rationing body. The Government's aim, which was a Tory election pledge, was to enable NHS doctors to prescribe any drug if they believed a cancer patient could benefit. It was a temporary stopgap until 2016 and NHS England, which took over its administration a year ago, now proposes to re-evaluate a host of drugs on the basis of cost for the first time. The plan has sparked protest from top cancer charities and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) which has sent an open letter to Mr Hunt. It says the blame lies with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice), which must be reformed and look at cancer medicines with "greater flexibility." The letter says NHS England's plans "threaten to take the UK back to a time of clear rationing of cancer medicines." Instead Nice should adapt its end of life criteria in considering whether the NHS can afford "life extending medicines to be available to those patients confronting the most difficult battle of all - the battle for life" says the letter signed by ABPI chief executive Stephen Whitehead. New plans are set to axe up to 25 drugs, including Avastin used to treat bowel cancer, deemed too expensive for the NHS by the Cancer Drugs Fund, which was originally set up to improve access to vital medicines In response to calls for drug companies to cut their prices beyond discounts already given to the NHS, Mr Whitehead says the industry does not ask for "unfair returns and in the UK profits are capped." The National CDF panel will meet on December 15 and 16 to decide which drugs should be removed because they offer "insufficient value for money," with its decisions announced "early in the New Year. Some of the 25 drugs are being re-evaluated for different cancers so a total of 42 treatments will be considered in total. It is thought one in six patients being treated through the fund has advanced breast cancer, who can access drugs rejected by Nice. Although existing patients would continue to be treated, new patients would have to make exceptional appeals to get drugs that are currently approved. Caitlin Palframan, senior policy manager at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said the charity was deeply concerned that several very effective breast cancer drugs could be axed due to their high price. She said: "The Fund is the only way women in England can routinely access these drugs that can offer them months, or even years, of additional good quality life. Caitlin Palframan, of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said the charity is deeply concerned about the implications for an estimated 16,000 breast cancer patients getting help from the Cancer Drugs Fund each year. Picture shows breast cancer cells under the microscope The Cancer Drugs Fund was only ever intended to be a temporary solution, acting as a safety net for patients, but we are now facing a situation in which it may fail to perform that function for some people and more and more life-extending drugs could be snatched away from those that need them. It is estimated that ending the Cancer Drugs Fund will deny more than 16,000 patients annually from getting potentially life extending drugs. The budget for the fund has been overspent by £30million since NHS England took over its running in April last year. The bill was met from underspends in other parts of its budget. Owen Sharp, Chief Executive of Prostate Cancer UK said: "Whilst we welcome the clarity provided by these proposed reforms, the huge deficit that has brought the Cancer Drugs Fund to the brink is the result of a failed drug appraisal system that continues to deny thousands of cancer patients access to effective drugs that they clearly need. A long-term solution is urgently needed that delivers an overhaul of the way new cancer drugs are appraised.