Mesothelioma And Nice Appraisal Procedure

EDM number 221 in 2007-08, proposed by Michael Clapham on 13/11/2007.
Categorised under the topics of Diseases, Health finance and Industrial health and safety.

That this House recognises that since November 2004 Alimta has been the only licensed treatment for mesothelioma and since the Scottish Medicines Consortium's advice in July 2005 victims of asbestos in Scotland have had access to Alimta; welcomes the July 2007 National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Final Appraisal Determination (FAD) recommending Alimta; applauds some of the primary care trusts (PCTs) and boards that have made Alimta available in parts of England and Wales since 2005-06, notably in the North West and North East of England; is concerned that Alimta is not yet routinely available in other hot spots like Northern Ireland, Plymouth, Southampton, Eastleigh and London; welcomes the MSO1 clinical trial results comparing unlicensed therapies and notes that these other agents did not result in a significant survival benefit, reinforcing the case for Alimta; regrets that an appeal against the current NICE FAD announced on 24th August will not happen until 23rd November and that the report will not be available until 2008; notes that hundreds of patients in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are denied access to Alimta whilst some PCTs and boards wait for the NICE decision and guidance; urges NICE to review its processes to make it faster and more transparent given that this appraisal has already lasted nearly three years; and calls on the Secretary of State for Health to review how best to remove the post code lottery and to accept, given the industrial nature of mesothelioma, that the Government has a duty for the wellbeing of workers and their families exposed to asbestos through no fault of their own.

This motion has been signed by a total of 77 MPs.