MEP HAILS APPROVAL OF SIGHT-SAVING INJECTION

10.23.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 3rd Apr 2008

The approval of an injection by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence should mean that thousands of older people with Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) will receive vital sight-saving treatment on the NHS.

Local Euro-MP Liz Lynne, Vice President of the European Parliament's Disability Intergroup, was approached by a constituent who would only be offered treatment after going blind in one eye, even though the drug is funded by the state and freely available in Scotland and other EU Member States. Liz wrote to the Chief Executive of NICE to protest at the lack of availability of the treatment, known under various names including Lucentis, on the NHS.

Liz Lynne MEP said:

"This decision is a victory for common sense; to deny this sight-saving drug on the NHS was to condemn thousands of older people to an avoidable blindness which would have ended up costing far more in extra care and facilities in the long term.

"The fact that treatment is already funded by the health services in Scotland, France, Germany and elsewhere make the initial England and Wales recommendations look unusually cruel and was out of line with many other EU countries.

"Barring any last minute appeals, the treatment should be available after June, which can not come soon enough for many AMD sufferers who are currently losing their sight."

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of sight loss in the UK and destroys the macula - the centre of the retina. Each year some 19,000 to 26,000 people in England and Wales are diagnosed with 'wet' AMD, the more aggressive form of the condition, which causes 90% of blindness from AMD.

NICE has recommended that the NHS give 14 treatments of Lucentis which will cost £10,700. If further treatments are needed, the manufacturer Novartis will pay.

While Lucentis and its equivalents are available on the NHS in Scotland and also reimbursed in many other EU countries including France and Germany, some health authorities in England and Wales have only offered it after the patient has gone blind in one eye and others have refused to fund it at all.