Friday 14 October 2011

Saving the NHS money.

Melanoma is not (yet) related to smoking, drinking or being overweight.

If you have it, you might be one of the thirty per cent who wouldn't die at once if you had access to a certain drug.

"On the basis of the evidence provided so far, ipilimumab could not be considered a cost effective use of NHS resources."

So if you have non-smoking, non-drinking, non-burger based melanoma, you are going to die because you're too expensive for the NHS to bother with.

But hey, you're saving the NHS money. All that money you paid in will go to treat other people.

Get the idea yet? Somehow I doubt it.

10 comments:

View from the Solent said...

"But hey, you're saving the NHS money. All that money you paid in will go to treat other people."

The Mash

Ed P said...

It's not clear if this drug action is for primary melanoma or secondaries. If it stops or slows down metastises, then it would be very worthwhile - it's the secondaries that usually kill via liver, lung or bone sites and these are currently unstoppable. I know, as my wife died from seconday melanoma - the doctors even admitted that the chemotherapy they offered was pointless.

Anonymous said...

@Slamlander - I'm afraid you've been misinformed. The very existence of the NHS is its raison d'etre - it allows our politicians to pretend that they care. The phrase 'cherished institution' is frequently used in the same breath. Unfortunately, a damning report has just found that if you're old you'll be lucky to survive a stay in an NHS hospital since it's guilty of callous, criminal neglect of the elderly.

Jay

Anonymous said...

Dear Mr Leg-iron

Plainly the NHS and apologists are keeping the 'lifestyle choice' weapon in reserve. Melanomas are associated with (or may be caused exclusively by [/ignorance]) exposure to sunlight, especially in those forin parts where it is stronger than in the UK.

I suspect that second hand sunbathing isn't something the health nazis would seriously consider. At least not yet.

DP

Ed P said...

Not so, my wife had a melanoma behind her retina, where no sunlight had ever penetrated.

Anonymous said...

Poor L-I, you never learn.

http://smoking.ygoy.com/does-smoking-cause-skin-cancer/

Yes, smoking is linked to Melanoma...

Woman on a Raft said...

ipilimumab

Are they using word verification to generate the names?

Leg-iron said...

salegamine - pity the non-smoker. There is no cause for anything they catch so there is no possibility of cure.

Nobody is even looking for one.

Leg-iron said...

WOAR - I thought they generated drug names by throwing a scrabble bag at the wall.

Dr Evil said...

Firstly, this drug was not trialled against the platinum-based chemotherapy currently used which is a pity as a head to head trial would have shown just how good it is. Or not of course.

Secondly it is £80,000 per patient for four treatments. the ICER was £54000 and the usual cut off point is £30000 for an end of life drug. It will not cure, only delay death.

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