Comments on: UK Disputes Value Of Celgene Cancer Med

By: michael lewendon

michael lewendon — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:20:29 +0000

Dear anybody,
My name is Corol ann Kirk I live at 16 Turton close, Brighton,BN2 5DA my home telephone number is 01273672802
My mother died soon after I was born, my father a proud man brought me up on his own. When I was about ten years old the kids at school used to call me names, and when I asked my father questions he shrug his shoulders and say “Take no heed they don’t understand” At the age of about 25 years, I applied for compensation, from the Thalidomide Trust and they told me that because the doctors records no longer exist, I cant prove I’m a thalidomide child, My hands and feet are smaller than most, My father told me my mother was on thalidomide, I work 12 hours a day in an old peoples home and struggle on with no help from anyone, A friend told me to contact you in the hope that you can ask the right questions to the right people, I feel so let down by all this I’ve virtually given up all hope.
Please if there’s anything you can do to help it would be appreciated
Thankyou, corol kirk,

By: Former pharma Marketing Exec

Former pharma Marketing Exec — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 02:25:22 +0000

I obviously feel that the patients should have a chance with this drug.

The best situation for us all wold be for NICE to be able to hold the pharmaceuticals accountable to their claims with the drug.

It would be great if they could consider kind of a cost sharing trial, were costs are split 50/50 and the patients get access to treatment and are strictly monitored. The government will have the data it needs one way or the other.

Keeping tight controls like this should be seen as a positive to stimulate further research into finding was to maximize the treatment for the patients while staying within cost effective defined limits.

This is not easy to do, and I think more work is needed, but they are on the right track - as long as the patient gets access to treatment that might potential prolong their lives.

A cure wold be nice - NICE!

By: Beth

Beth — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 23:50:14 +0000

Thalomid and Revlimid are both immunomodulators used in the treatment of myeloma and other diseases.
It would be great to have tests which would tell us if these drugs would be effective for individual patients before they’re prescribed. The truth is, they don’t work for everyone who has myeloma. Revlimid did not work for me.
I think fewer than 20% have a CR with either of these drugs. Yes, it’s expensive for the NHS to cover the costs when then outcome is unknown, but these people should still be offered a chance to try.

By: Dan A.

Dan A. — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:33:56 +0000

Thanks for the correction, Quibbler.

By: Quibbler

Quibbler — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:00:55 +0000

Dan A.,

The active ingredient in Revlimid is lenalidomide. It is not a biologic. It is a derivative of thalidomide.

By: Dan A.

Dan A. — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:52:59 +0000

With 3 years life extension, the biologic should be utilized in these types of patients.