Published Date:
01 August 2008
A CANCER sufferer with only two months to live has mounted a legal challenge for a drug that could extend his life by three years.
Horsham man Colin Ross was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a cancer of the blood cells, in May 2004 and has been told by doctors that unless he is given the drug Revlimid he will not survive beyond the autumn.
The 55-year-old has had a range of cancer treatments and responded well to two other drugs prescribed on the NHS for myeloma patients; Thalidomide and Velcade.
But he was forced to stop taking the drugs because they had painful side effects.
While Revlimid is readily available to patients across Europe and in the USA, it has not yet been granted approval by NICE (National Institute of Clinical Excellence) and is only provided by some PCTs on the NHS in exceptional circumstances.
What do you make of Mr Ross' plight?
Do you think Revlimid should be made available on the NHS?
Leave your comments below or email Tim Raw by clicking on his name above.
For the full story buy the County Times next Friday.
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Last Updated:
02 August 2008 5:41 PM
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Source:
n/a
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Location:
Horsham
