Widower’s Anger at ‘Spinelessness’ ; Cancer Drug Battle in Memory of Jane
By Alistair Keely
THE widower of inspirational fundraiser Jane Tomlinson yesterday accused the Government of being “spineless” for stonewalling his request for answers regarding his late wife’s problems in accessing life-extending drugs.
Mike Tomlinson has been trying to raise the issue of “unfair” access to cancer drugs since Jane’s death last September.
Mrs Tomlinson, 43, lost her seven-year battle with cancer after raising more than pounds 1.75m for charity in gruelling endurance events, including three London Marathons.
His wife had to travel from her home in Leeds to Nottingham to receive the life-extending drug Lapatinib because the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust had not taken part in the study of the treatment.
Last November, Mr Tomlinson met Health Minister Ann Keen and cancer tsar Mike Richards to try to get some answers.
“They promised me they’d report back to me in three months. They didn’t. Not one email, not one phone call.
“They have broken that promise,” he said.
Mr Tomlinson said the Government’s inaction has forced him go public and he intends to raise the issues in a BBC Radio 5 Live special report tomorrow.
The widower said he asked the Government and Health Secretary Alan Johnson for an interview for the programme but they refused.
“I thought that was a bit spineless, to be honest,” he said.
“These are serious issues. We are not trying to catch anyone out.”
The programme also features the problems Manchester music mogul Tony Wilson faced in his battle against cancer.
Mr Wilson’s kidney cancer drug was available in this country but not nationally approved for use. “There are some high-profile cases. It was disappointing no one from the Government would come on the programme and talk to us,” Mr Tomlinson said.
On the radio, he says: “I’ve uncovered what the problems (are) but it’s extremely disappointing to think that the Government, which so highly praised Jane, are not prepared to sit down and discuss these issues face to face in a public forum. The system is discriminatory and people are suffering as a consequence.
“We won’t let this issue go. We will fulfil Jane’s wishes and ensure a more equitable system is available in the UK.”
Mr Tomlinson claims the availability of cancer drugs is like a “patchwork quilt” across the UK.
He said it was incumbent on Government ministers to have a look at the system, review the process and offer a speedier access to drugs.
He said the issues went “beyond a postcode lottery” and involved research, advance trials and speed of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) approval.
The programme is broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live at 7.30pm tomorrow.
Drug death probe call
The Government was last night facing calls for an investigation after it was disclosed that the number of patients dying as a result of a reaction to the drugs they were being treated with had doubled over the past 10 years.
Figures released by the Department of Health in a Parliamentary answer showed that 1,031 patients died last year as a result of an adverse drugs reaction (ADR) compared to 447 in 1997, a 131% increase.
Over the same period, the number of ADR cases requiring prolonged hospitalisation rose from 2,484 to 4,545 – an 87% increase – while the total number of reported ADRs was up 30% from 16,627 to 21,600.
Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley described the increases as “worrying” and called for further investigation. He said: “Ministers must see patient safety as their top priority.”
(c) 2008 The Journal – Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.