Socialized Medicines...
I guess that is what the Eye doctor was referring to...
My eye doctor who couldn't diagnose my ms but could treat the optic neuritis thus maximally preserving my eyesight. He was informative as ever telling me
all about the latest while he was teaching a med student.
He said that in England, avonex is not covered for ms. Now I am stunned. They do cover "statins"...hey that's cholestrol lowering meds, right?
He keeps talking away and I can't get over avonex not being covered by an entire Government...?
That they think if you have more exacerabations and faster disease progression that that somehow saves money?
Oh the questions that raises.
Also the ignorance of bureaucratic controlling arms that presume to know the cause...do they think it is high cholestrol??
Maybe they figure since it is a shot they can call it icky or awful or inconvenient or too expensive.
Not that studies show it is effective to prevent disease progression.
11/27/09***after posting this, Lisa Emrich, brassandivory.blogspot.com is MS and RA info specialist corrected as you will see in the comments. Look to the groups she lists as advocates for sensible treatment in England. Thanks Lisa!!
My vision is 99 percent better after having had a run of iv steroids 4 years ago. I wondered if I lived in England, would my vision still have that blurry blotch?
Would I be taking a statin and when would I begin to fall?
Have a great black friday.
re gifting is recycling with a rebate of the money you didn't spend.
mary
Oh dear, your eye doctor may be an excellent eye doctor and helped to protect your vision through steroids...but apparently he isn't aware of how MS patients obtain DMDs in England.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mstrust.org.uk/news/campaigns/dmdrugs.jsp
It is true that NICE, which was created in 1999, determined that the MS drugs were not cost-effective and made their guidance against covering them under NHS in 2000. That determination was appealed numerous times until final guidance was issued in 2002. http://www.parliament.uk/post/pn168.pdf
However, advocates such as MS Trust continued to push which is how the DMDs became available under the Risk-sharing Scheme with NHS. http://www.mstrust.org.uk/atoz/rss.jsp
The scheme includes monitoring the outcomes of over 5000 patients over the course of 10 years. http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/documents/digitalasset/dh_4012214.pdf
Apparently, NICE is examining the evidence of prescribing DMDs, including Avonex, after clinically isolated syndrome. http://www.mstrust.org.uk/atoz/avonex.jsp
It is only earlier this year that FDA approved Copaxone for use in clinically isolated syndrome suggestive of MS. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/141213.php
Avonex's label was expanded in 2003 and Betaseron's label expanded in 2006. http://www4.va.gov/MS/pressreleases/News_FDA_Expands_Approval_of_Interferon_beta_1b_Betaseron.asp
Thanks so much Lisa, I will get this to him. You are such a great resource and I appreciate your outlining how citizens may override governmental bureaucracy for the batter.
ReplyDeleteMary
Mary,
ReplyDeleteHere's some very fresh information regarding the risk-sharing scheme in UK. Published yesterday in BMJ is a study discussing early results - read here. Commentary given by MS Society UK - here and a brief article published today - here.
Thank you Lisa! I love my new label format-I fashioned it after yours so I can sort out my posts. I will share with the Dr. when I find his contact info. Mary
ReplyDelete