CHRIS HUHNE WELCOMES CANCER DRUG DECISION (Eastleigh Liberal Democrats)

Eastleigh Liberal Democrats <enquiries@eastleighlibdems.org.uk>

CHRIS HUHNE WELCOMES CANCER DRUG DECISION

January 30, 2009 12:00 PM

Eastleigh MP Chris Huhne welcomed the decision this week of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to approve the cancer drug Revlimid, which had been denied to a local patient for months, for use in the National Health Service.

Mr Huhne said that the NICE decision would mean that the battles that Mrs Lemon had to fight with the Hampshire NHS primary care trust to get approval would no longer happen. Although Hampshire finally relented, there were months of delays, Mr Huhne said.

"This decision is good news for cancer sufferers in Hampshire and other areas across the country where the primary care trust has been difficult about funding this cancer treatment.

"Overall, it will help nearly 4,000 cancer sufferers who are diagnosed with myeloma each year across the UK," Mr Huhne said. "For the 2,400 who die from the condition each year, it will provide hope for an extra three years of life which is precious to their families and them".

Mr Huhne took up the case of Mrs Lemon last year when the Hampshire primary care trust refused to pay for Revlimid despite the recommendation of the cancer specialist at Southampton General Hospital.

The NICE decision, which reverses a previous preliminary finding, comes in part because the makers of the drug, Celgene, promised to bear the costs of any treatment that continued after two years.