THE decision to deny the Tarceva drug to thousands of lung cancer patients will be a death sentence to some victims.

NHS consultants will be barred from prescribing a drug widely available in Scotland, Europe and the US because it is deemed too expensive.

It is estimated that 2,300 patients each year will be denied the once-daily tablet.

Not only will this give rise to heart-rending cases, but it also raises the question of why people in Scotland and Wales seem to enjoy extra benefits.

How can it be right that we in England cannot have these things?