swampster

iTrader: (1)

On top of forcing these workshy idle layabouts back into work, the Government are going to cut treatment options for severe arthritis sufferers, which should save a few quid.

Currently some severe arthritis sufferers are being treated with drug therapy know as Anti-TNF, of which there are 3 main kinds of drug used. There is currently no method of predetermining which method will be of the most benefit to the patient, so elimination by trial is used. Essentially a patient tries Drug A, and if it doesn't work for them they move onto Drug B for example.

Not any longer... physicians, will have to choose without any basis of evidence of which will be the most suitable drug. So it's a simple choice whether to use Drug A, Drug B or Drug C on the patient. If that drug doesn't work... that is it, there is NO option to try one of the other drugs. so whether a patient recieves treatment that works essentially boils down to a 3 way lottery, with a 1 in 3 chance of a decent quality of life.

Each of these drugs works in different manner, and there is good evidence to show that whilst one drug may not work, there is a very good chance one of the other methods will, obviously there are exceptions where nothing works.

Instead of using one of the other drugs, in the event of therapy failure patients are to move up to the next (and LAST after also rejecting the use of another new therapy that would have formed another tier) order of drug therapy, and Rituximab is to be prescribed. Whilst this is of a higher order in the therapy chain, it is proven to be less effective than the previous tier, and has much worse side effects, but it only costs £6000 per year to administer as opposed to the ANti-TNF drugs costing £9000 per year. So whilst many individuals will have to revert back to treatment regimens they have previously found unsuitable, so will have to suffer intolerabale pain, debilitating bone fusion, bouts of extra surgery and earlier immobilisation... just think of the cash we'll save.

Or actually... lets think about, how much extra it will cost in the long term for increased surgery, for increased care in the home that will be required, for increased AND earlier incapacity claims, for increased respite care..., not to mention how poor life will be for some of these individuals

Short sighted in the extreme if you ask me....

BBC NEWS | Health | Plan to curb arthritis drug use
40,000 people with Rheumatoid Arthritis to be denied access to life changing drugs - NRAS
Arthritis Care : NICE limits options for people with rheumatoid arthritis