January 24, 2008 – 2:55 pm
On the 23/01/08, NICE announces that it has rejected an appeal against its decision to approve the use of Alimta for the treatment of mesothelioma, a fatal tumour of the lung pleura caused by exposure to asbestos.
This decision brings to an end an approval process which has taken nearly three years, and which led to one of the worst examples of post code lottery funding. While mesothelioma patients in Scotland, the North West and North East of England received treatment, hundreds of patients were refused treatment in other parts of the UK.
This agonisingly long appraisal process has caused untold distress for hundreds of mesothelioma patients who might have benefited from treatment with Alimta, which, although not a cure for mesothelioma, can extend life and alleviate symptoms for many patients. Average life expectancy from diagnosis for mesothelioma sufferers is 12 months: for many patients this decision has come far too late.
Final guidance will now be issued by NICE so that PCTs will at last be obliged to uniformly provide treatment, although they have the option of a 90-day lead in period following an official announcement by NICE.
PCTs should respond immediately to NICE’s announcement today and follow Department of Health Guidance which encourages early implementation of NICE guidance. In light of today’s clear and unequivocal decision by NICE it would be perverse for any PCT to refuse a request for treatment after so many years delay and anguish for patients and their families.
January 3, 2008 – 3:42 pm
Thompsons solicitors are launching a national campaign to achieve justice for asbestos families across the UK.
Thompsons one of the leading UK’s leading claimant personal injury law firms is demanding equality for families affected by asbestos in England and Wales after it was revealed they are receiving tens of thousands of pounds less in compensation than their Scottish counterparts.
The firm is highlighting an injustice in the way compensation for bereaved is awarded to families who have lost a relative to mesothelioma England and Wales the level of compensation is set at £10,000 and is only payable to the spouse but over the border in Scotland payments up to £30,000 have been made to bereaved widows. Not only widows but other family members in Scotland can also receive compensation of between 10,000 and 15,000 pounds.
Thompsons wants to see a change in the way payments are assessed so families across the UK receive compensation in line with amount currently paid to families in Scotland.
Thompsons head of asbestos policy, Ian McFall said “The law must be changed to ensure families in England and Wales are entitled to the sane level of compensation for bereavement as families in Scotland. The imbalance is unjust and cannot continue. 10,000 is a derisory sum for the grief caused by the death of a close family member. Whole family’s sufferer terribly when they lose a loved one to mesothelioma.They carry the emotional burden with them for the rest of their lives”.
