The NHS has won a landmark battle against drug giants paving the way for the health service to save millions by prescribing cheaper medicine.

Bayer and Novartis brought a High Court action against 12 NHS clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in the north of England, relating to a drug to treat the biggest cause of age-related vision loss in the UK.

The companies challenged the lawfulness of a policy adopted by the groups which prescribed Avastin "as the preferred treatment option" for wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD).

Avastin, which costs around £28 per injection, is widely used around the world. However, despite being recommended by the World Health Organisation, it is only licensed for cancer treatment in the UK.

Yet the NHS groups were offering it as a course of treatment for patients with AMD alongside drugs called Lucentis and Eylea - drugs licensed for eye treatment.