Access to treatment
The Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) is a way of funding some cancer medicines in England. It gives patients access to promising treatments while more evidence is collected. Or before they become routinely available on the NHS. The CDF is part of the NICE process for reviewing new cancer medicines. NICE reviews medicines after they are licensed for use in England and decides whether they should be available on the NHS. NICE also assesses medicines for rare cancers.
NICE decides whether a medicine should be:
recommended - the medicine should be routinely available
optimised – the medicine is only available for certain people with a condition
recommended for use within the cancer drugs fund (CDF) - the medicine can become available via the CDF while more evidence is collected about how well it works
only in research – you can only have the medicine as part of a clinical trial, so researchers can collect more evidence about how well it works
not recommended - the medicine should not be available
When NICE recommends a cancer medicine, it may be funded through the CDF for a short period before NHS funding starts.
Once NICE publishes the final guidance, the medicine leaves the CDF. It then becomes routinely available on the NHS.
A 'not recommended' decision means that NICE has decided the medicine should not be available on the NHS. This may be because there is not enough evidence about how well it works. Or because it does not meet NICE's value for money criteria. The medicine is not approved for use in the NHS and can't be provided under the CDF.
'Recommended for use within the CDF’ means that the medicine shows promising results in trials. But more evidence is needed about how well it works.
People can access the medicine through the CDF while NICE collects the evidence. This new evidence is reviewed by NICE. Then they make a final decision about whether the medicine should be routinely available on the NHS.
The aim is to give doctors quicker access to new treatments for their patients.
Once a medicine has a licence, NICE aims to make a decision within 90 days where possible. But this can sometimes take longer.
This means that if a medicine is recommended, it can be made available more quickly. It should also make it easier for you and your doctor to understand which treatments are available.
NICE may also decide how long a medicine should stay on the CDF list. Most drugs will only remain in the CDF for a limited period. Some medicines may stay for longer if doctors think they need to get more evidence about how well they work. NICE reviews the medicine again and decides whether it should be routinely available on the NHS.
You can see information about what medicines are available on the CDF list and when they might be used.
This might be for:
a certain type of cancer
a certain
only
people who have already had certain treatments first
Look at the latest drugs fund list on the NHS England website
Your specialist applies to the CDF for you.
You can't apply yourself directly. Your cancer specialist is in the best position to discuss what treatment is best for you.
They make a decision based on:
your type and stage of cancer
any treatments you have had before
your general health
Once your specialist has submitted the form, they will get confirmation of whether the treatment can be funded through the CDF. They can then discuss the next steps with you.
The Cancer Drugs Fund is only available for patients in England. You have to be entitled to routine NHS care in England. You also have to be registered with a GP in England.
Access to new medicines is different in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In Scotland, the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) decides whether new medicines should be available on NHS Scotland. It aims to make sure that people have the same access to treatment wherever they live in Scotland.
Scotland also has a 'New Medicines Fund'. This fund pays for some medicines for patients with rare or end-of-life conditions.
The All Wales Medicines Strategy Group (AWMSG) makes decisions for the NHS in Wales. Generally, it follows NICE decisions.
The Welsh Government has the 'new treatment fund’ for Wales. This aims to speed up patient access to new treatments.
Visit the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group (AWMSG) website
Health and Social Care Services in Northern Ireland often considers NICE guidance when making decisions about medicines. But the Cancer Drugs Fund is only available in England.
Visit the Northern Ireland Department of Health website
Talk to your specialist if you think a treatment might help you but it isn’t available. There might be other ways to access treatment. These include:
individual funding request (IFR)
clinical trials
private medical treatment
Read more about other ways to access treatment
You might feel disappointed if you can’t have the treatment you would like. This can be very difficult to come to terms with. You might feel a range of emotions, including anger.
It can be helpful to talk to your specialist. Or you might be able to talk with other people who have tried to get the same treatment. It can be helpful to share experiences.
Visit Cancer Chat, our online forum
Last reviewed: 06 Oct 2026
Next review due: 06 Oct 2029
Sometimes there are treatments which aren’t available on the NHS. There are other ways you might be able to access a treatment that isn’t available on the NHS.
Drugs go through a review process. This ensures they're safe, effective, and that the benefits outweigh possible side effects.
Once a medicine has a licence, organisations will decide if it should be available as part of free healthcare.
There are several decisions to be made about a cancer treatment before you can have it on the NHS or HSC.
Search for the cancer type you want to find out about. Each section has detailed information about symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, research and coping with cancer.
