One million women denied the 7p breast cancer drug that can halve chance of developing disease because of red tape

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More than a million women are denied pills that could halve their chance of developing breast cancer because of red tape, experts warn.

They say those at greater risk should be offered a preventative treatment that costs as little as 7p a day.

But the drugs are not licensed for this use – making doctors reluctant to prescribe them in case patients sue over side effects.

More than a million women have been denied pills that could halve their chance of developing breast cancer

Breast Cancer Campaign research estimates that if women were properly screened, and those at risk were offered the drugs, nearly 4,000 cases a year could be prevented.

Tamoxifen, Raloxifene and Anastrozole block oestrogen and are used to treat breast cancer. But the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has not licensed them for preventative use, which costs 7p to 61p a day and cuts risk by 40 to 50 per cent.

MHRA says drug firms must apply for a new licence so it can assess the pills’ ‘safety, efficacy and quality’ – a very expensive process that would take years. 

Mia Rosenblatt, of Breast Cancer Campaign, said: ‘It’s incomprehensible that there are low-cost, effective treatments out there which are not routinely available to patients because of red tape.’ 

Campaigners also said the lack of screening means many women do not realise they are at risk due to factors such as having the genes BRCA1 and BRCA2, high breast density, hormone replacement therapy, smoking and having children later in life. 

They said NHS screening should be expanded, with women over 50 filling in a risk assessment form every three years.

Professor Anthony Howell, who carried out the research, said: ‘There’s a big group of women out there who don’t know they are at increased risk and who can’t get these drugs.’ He added the MHRA ‘haven’t thought it through’.

The charity says 10 to 15 per cent of women over 50 – some 1.3million – have an increased risk of breast cancer, but a ‘minuscule’ number are taking the drugs. However, the pills can cause nausea, weight gain and even blood clots.

A new breast cancer drug can extend patients’ lives by an extra year and four months on average compared to standard treatment, US researchers say. 

Perjeta, for those with advanced cancer, achieved ‘phenomenal’ results in a trial. NHS watchdog NICE said it was unlikely to be cost effective.

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King’s College London researchers said that pain and bleeding are being dismissed as side effects of the Pill by women and family doctors.

They studied 128 patients under 30. Most had been identified by the NHS screening programme before they realised anything was wrong. But of those who did notice symptoms, 28 per cent said they then waited three months to go to a GP. Even after seeing a doctor, 60 per cent had to wait three more months for a formal diagnosis.

The disease is the most common form of cancer in women under 35, with around 900 cases a year. A third of patients will die within five years.

How to recognize and check for breast cancer symptoms

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