Cancer sufferers in Britain are losing out on access to drugs, amid price hikes of more than 1,000 per cent for life-saving medication, scientists have warned.

New research shows watchdogs in France and Germany are far more likely than those in the UK to approve new treatments, with soaring drug prices in Britain putting health budgets under mounting strain.

A study led by the University of Liverpool examined the prices charged by drugs companies for some of the most common cancer treatments.

Twenty were found to have risen by more than 100 per cent in the last five years, with rises of more than 1,000 per cent for some of the most crucial treatments.