A drug that can prolong the lives of patients with advanced liver cancer has been rejected for use in the NHS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) said the cost of Nexavar – about £3,000 a month – was “simply too high”.

But Macmillan Cancer Support said the decision was “a scandal”.

More than 3,000 people are diagnosed with liver cancer every year in the UK and their prognosis is generally poor.

Only about 20% of patients are alive one year after diagnosis, dropping to just 5% after five years.

And people will die because NICE (Orwell, would that thou wert here to see that) says that extending their lives isn’t worth the money.

Oh, Sarah Palin, you and your “death panels.” Where do you come up with this stuff, you kook?

Confucius, Œc. Vol.

Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu.