Nice Appeal Decision On Alimta For Mesothelioma

EDM number 729 in 2006-07, proposed by Michael Clapham on 24/01/2007.

That this House is aware that since July 2005 mesothelioma victims in Scotland have had access to the drug Alimta, which is the only licensed treatment for this tumour; welcomes the decision of the Cancer Networks and primary care trusts that have made Alimta available in parts of England and Wales; urges them and NHS Quality Improvement Scotland to stand by their decision irrespective of what the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) finally decides; welcomes the decision by NICE announced on 19th December 2006 to uphold four of the grounds raised at the Alimta appeal hearing; notes that the use of Cost per Life Year Gained and other matters will now be reconsidered by the Appraisal Committee; further notes that Alimta is priced lower in the UK than in other European countries and that the NHS budget impact for 2007 will only be £3 million; urges the Government to review the appraisal methodology used by NICE; recognises the additional duty of care on Government to workers from the former nationalised industries negligently exposed to asbestos; and calls on the Secretary of State for Health to acknowledge that, in this case, she has a wider social responsibility that goes beyond the NICE definition of cost-effectiveness.

This motion has been signed by a total of 90 MPs.