A breast cancer drug which its maker AstraZeneca claims is more effective for older women than the best existing treatment has been given an official stamp of approval in Scotland - more than a year before a decision for the rest of the UK is due.

The Scottish Medicines Consortium's recommendation of Arimidex is likely to increase pressure on the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, which covers the rest of the UK, to speed its consideration of such drugs. The SMC aims to give advice on new drugs soon after the launch of a product. Nice takes more evidence, and puts its recommendations out for consultation - which means it takes an average of 18 months longer to deliver its verdicts. Although neither organisation's decisions are binding on doctors and managers in the National Health Service, most follow the guidance and there have been growing complaints about the delays between drugs being available in Scotland and the rest of the UK.