A 69-year-old cancer patient Brian Jago, from the UK has said that he is being denied of life saving drugs which are easily available in Wales and Scotland. Jago has been diagnosed with a blood cancer called multiple myeloma in July 2003. He has undergone a stem cell transplant and a chemotherapy treatment which failed to check the disease.
The Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust is reported to have cancelled the first course of the anti-cancer drug Velcade for him. A single course of the drug costs £15,000, and this appears to beyond the reach of Jago. The reason given by the hospital for denying him the course was that there was not sufficient evidence with regard to its effectiveness. The drug is also yet to receive its approval from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. The real reason for this is believed to be a shortage of funds. Jago’s treatment was scheduled to start on 25 November 2005.
