PATIENTS in Warrington are being denied high cost drugs that treat conditions such as heart disease, osteoporosis and depression.

Doctors are now prevented from routinely prescribing the drugs as NHS managers attempt to make drastic budget cuts after the Government’s radical new health bill was unveiled last year.

Trusts are under pressure to make savings estimated at £1.9 million each this year and have done so by devising a traffic light system.

If a medication is deemed green then GPs are free to prescribe it, if it is amber they have to discuss the prescription with a specialist and if it is red only a specialist can do so.

Drugs in the black category are not recommended for routine prescription.

NHS Warrington has added 25 medicines to its list under these bands.

The measure is designed to save money by restricting access to drugs that are often among the most expensive.

It also means that many patients will find it difficult to obtain the most effective drugs free on the NHS, even though they have been approved by watchdog NICE.

Examples of medications in Warrington now classed as black include crestor and lipitor, which help lower cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular disease, anti-depressant agomelatine and schizophrenia medication olanzapine.

The red light was given to arthritis drug tocilizumab while osteoporosis medicine denosumab was granted the amber light along with prasugel, which stops arteries from blocking. It will now be up to GPs to offer alternative medicines to patients.

In other parts of the country red list items include treatments for Parkinson’s disease and a drug that helps lower the risk of fractures in osteoporosis sufferers.

A group known as the Mid Mersey Medicines Management Board has been set up to work across Warrington, Halton, St Helens and Knowsley with a view to adopting a joint approach to commissioning medicines.

The board consists of GPs, pharmacists and other key health care professionals and is responsible for making evidence based recommendations to each of the PCTs to ensure the appropriate use of high cost medicines.

A spokesman for NHS Warrington said: “All recommendations, where appropriate, are carefully reviewed and considered by prescribers.

“When making decisions, the impact to patients is always considered and treatments will still be considered where a GP or consultant believes exceptional circumstances exist.”