Ministers deny GlaxoSmithKline claims of drug delays

The government has rejected a claim from the head of Britain's biggest drugs company, GlaxoSmithKline, that cancer treatments are being systematically delayed to save money.

The Department of Health said the drug approval process was getting faster, but the pharmaceutical industry needed to look at the high prices it was charging for the latest treatments.

GSK chief, Sir Andrew Witty, told the BBC "strategic thoughtfulness" was being lost in the "stampede" to cut costs.