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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Untested drugs for terminally ill | Untested drugs for terminally ill |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Cancer drugs which have not been tested on humans are to be given to terminally ill patients by the NHS. | Cancer drugs which have not been tested on humans are to be given to terminally ill patients by the NHS. |
| St Bartholomew's Hospital in London will be the first to administer the drugs, followed by 18 other centres. | St Bartholomew's Hospital in London will be the first to administer the drugs, followed by 18 other centres. |
| Doctors say patients will only be given the drugs if they have no other hope of recovery, and they will only get small doses of medication to start with. | Doctors say patients will only be given the drugs if they have no other hope of recovery, and they will only get small doses of medication to start with. |
| The Department of Health approved the move in a bid to halve the amount of time it takes to develop new drugs. | The Department of Health approved the move in a bid to halve the amount of time it takes to develop new drugs. |
| With drug approval currently taking on average 10 years, doctors want to speed up the process. | With drug approval currently taking on average 10 years, doctors want to speed up the process. |
| 'Unexpected effects' | 'Unexpected effects' |
| "We're not talking about cutting any corners in terms of patients' safety," Professor John Gribben from Barts and The London NHS Trust said. | "We're not talking about cutting any corners in terms of patients' safety," Professor John Gribben from Barts and The London NHS Trust said. |
| "We would argue that for patients who've got cancer 10 years is too long to wait and we've got to try to cut that period down as much as possible." | "We would argue that for patients who've got cancer 10 years is too long to wait and we've got to try to cut that period down as much as possible." |
| Blood samples from patients will be analysed within a day and the treatment only continued if it proves effective. | Blood samples from patients will be analysed within a day and the treatment only continued if it proves effective. |
| Mr Gribben added: "What we're looking for is drugs that will kill the cancer cells but leave the rest of the patient intact. We're always prepared for very unexpected effects. | Mr Gribben added: "What we're looking for is drugs that will kill the cancer cells but leave the rest of the patient intact. We're always prepared for very unexpected effects. |
| "We know for each product that comes along what the potential side effects might be, and we've got staff who spend a lot of time counselling patients before they sign up to make them aware of the risks and potential lack of benefits." | "We know for each product that comes along what the potential side effects might be, and we've got staff who spend a lot of time counselling patients before they sign up to make them aware of the risks and potential lack of benefits." |
| The initiative is being funded by the Department of Health and Cancer Research UK who are providing £400,000 per year. |