UK Approval For Alimta -- MesoLink.org -- 01-03-05

Lilly UK have recently announced the approval of the drug Alimta in the UK. This drug was approved for the US market by the Food and Drugs Administration early this year, and medics in the UK are holding high hopes for its success in Britain. The drug is to be used as part of a combination therapy to treat mesothelioma, a deadly cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. There is currently no cure for this cancer; however, over the past couple of years there have been many breakthroughs in short term treatment, including the successful trials and approval of Alimta.

Professor Hilary Calvert, of the Northern Institute of Cancer Research, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, comments, "This form of cancer is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage at which point treatment with radiation therapy or surgery is not an option. Most of the patients I see only have a life expectancy after diagnosis of only a matter of months. Until now there has been no licensed chemotherapy available and patients have been more likely to have treatment aimed to relieve the symptoms rather than to control the disease."

The approval of Alimta has been widely welcomed, as cases of mesothelioma diagnoses in the UK continue to rise. There are currently close to two thousand diagnoses of this cancer in the UK alone, and this figure is expected to continue rising over the next decade or so. It is hoped that this treatment will help to give patients fresh hope, along with continued support from specialist agencies in the UK. The news that a patient has mesothelioma has a devastating impact on them, their partner and family. Patient organizations such as the British Lung Foundation can do much to meet families` need for support and information."