CANCER VICTIM WINS DRUG BATTLE

The Plymouth Herald reported on 14th December 2007 that a former dockyard worker with terminal asbestos-related lung cancer has won his fight to receive NHS funding for a life-extending drug.

Victor Lamb and his family said it was a "bittersweet victory", as many other mesothelioma sufferers still had to battle for Alimta - the only licensed treatment for the disease. The drug is available on the NHS in Scotland, but local health authorities in England decide which patients receive it because national guidelines on its use have still not been finalised.

Victor, from Whitsand Bay, faced spending more than £12,000 of his own life savings on the chemotherapy drug, which doctors say offers the best chance of living to see his daughter's wedding in February. The 66-year-old was yesterday told of the local health authority's decision - more than four months after he was diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Plymouth has been identified as the UK's fourth-largest 'hotspot' for asbestos-related deaths due to its past use at Devonport Dockyard in ships and buildings. Plymouth campaigner Jackie Lowe, who is raising awareness of mesothelioma following the death of her father Roger Lowe from the disease in 2005, said it was "barbaric" that families are bein g forced to fight for treatment."It is great news for Victor, but they should not have had to fight for it in the first place. Nobody should have to battle like that because they have loved ones with a terminal illness. Alimta is the only licensed treatment for mesothelioma - it's barbaric that it's limited."

Since Victor was diagnosed with mesothelioma in July, the tumour has spread rapidly through his lungs and into his spine and ribs.

Victor worked as an apprentice carpenter at Devonport Dockyard between the ages of 15 and 20 before leaving to work as a self-employed builder around the city. He received £12,000 in compensation from the Ministry of Defence in 2004 after developing pleural plaque - scars on the lungs usually caused by exposure to asbestos. He said this meant he was not eligible for any further compensation payments.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is in the process of reviewing Pemetrexed (Alimta) and final guidance is awaited.

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