Campaigners are demanding a cancer drug be used for a new sight restoration treatment
NHS doctors should be allowed to prescribe a cheap, safe and effective drug to tackle Britain’s leading cause of sight loss, campaigners say today[THURS]
Experts want Avastin, a drug which is currently licensed for cancer treatment, to be given to patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD) in a move which could release up to £102 million a year for other patient services.
But they claim access to the breakthrough drug is being blocked by the pharmaceutical giant Novartis which markets the currently used treatment Lucentis.
Trials have show than both drugs have similar effectiveness in treating the condition.
