July 20, 200619 yr A lung cancer patient who won a High Court battle to be given a drug to prolong his life has died just hours after receiving the news. Paul Bould, 51, of Morecambe, Lancashire, won an injunction to be given Tarceva after his local Primary Care Trust refused to fund it. His solicitor Yogi Amin said Mr Bould died at Lancaster Royal Infirmary in the early hours of Thursday morning. He said he fought "until the end" to receive the drug. Morecambe Bay Primary Care Trust had refused to pay for the Tarceva, which costs £1,500 for a month's treatment. The High Court ruled on Tuesday that Mr Bould must be allowed access to the drug until a full judicial review can be heard. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) is currently appraising Tarceva for use on the NHS and final guidance is expected in December. Mr Bould said on Tuesday he was "over the moon" at the decision. I've been on the drug for the last two months after my doctor prescribed it. "It has stopped my coughing and made it easier for me to breathe," he said. Solicitor Yogi Amin of law firm Irwin Mitchell represented breast cancer sufferer Ann-Marie Rogers in her battle for the drug Herceptin. A statement from Morecambe Bay PCT said the trust had looked at the evidence relating to Tarceva and said the drug was not a cure. "The PCT is committed to funding medical treatment, support and care of proven effectiveness for patients with all forms of cancer," it said. "However, the PCT faces major challenges in fulfilling its responsibility to all its residents in Morecambe Bay to make best use of finite available funds, to prioritise funding for those drugs and medical treatments that are cost effective and of proven medical effectiveness." The PCT was now planning to "explain the reasons behind its decision to the High Court at a full hearing". http://www.bbc.co.uk
July 20, 200619 yr Wow...that's unlucky. Should have quit smoking while he could...cause not many people at 51 get lung cancer by themselves. :\
July 21, 200619 yr Author Wow...that's unlucky. Should have quit smoking while he could...cause not many people at 51 get lung cancer by themselves. :\ where did you see that he was a smoker? they didn't mention it in the news reports I saw on Mon
July 21, 200619 yr Just inferring, cause it's the leading cause of lung cancer; there are some cases where non-smokers do get it, but it's very minimal in comparison.
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