Asbestos Treatment Too Expensive For Ulster -- MesoLink.org -- 08-15-06

Sufferers of the asbestos related cancer, mesothelioma, could miss out on valuable treatment for the cancer, because officials have stated that the cost of the treatment is too high. It has been revealed that English medical chiefs have said that Alimta is too costly, and as a result many patients could miss out on a treatment that could extend their lives.

Although Alimta is not a cure for the cancer, it can extend the lifespan of a mesothelioma patient by around four months. It has already been approved in many areas, but the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence for England and Wales has said that the cost of the drug cannot be justified and it is not cost effective.

Derry City Council’s former mayoress lost her husband to mesothelioma, and she stated that the decision made by the authority was disgraceful. Her husband Tony was just fifty-six when he died from the asbestos related cancer.

She stated: "Are people going to die sooner to save money? We would have jumped at the chance if this would have been around for Tony. We had been advised against an operation but anything in tablet form, we would have gone for it. People will look at this and say anything is better than nothing. It is a horrendous illness."