Veteran sues over NHS's refusal to pay for eye drugs
Monday, 9 July 2007
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A pensioner aged 84 is suing an NHS trust over its refusal to pay for drugs to save his sight in the first such case to be backed by Britain's leading charity for the blind.
Dennis Devier of Henley-on-Thames has been told by Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust that he cannot have drugs to treat his macular degeneration, the commonest cause of sight loss, unless he can prove he is an " exceptional case".
Mr Devier, a war veteran, is the main carer for his disabled wife and is already blind in one eye. He also has diabetes and Paget's disease, which affects the bones.
The Royal National Institue for the Blind, which is funding Mr Devier's legal action, accused Oxfordshire PCT of operating an "illegal blanket ban" on treatments for the condition to save money. The charity said Oxfordshire PCT claimed to consider each case on its merits but had not funded drug treatment for a single patient, despite having more than 70 in need of it.
Steve Winyard, of the RNIB, said: "Dennis has had his appeal turned down three times now. If Dennis isn't an 'exceptional case', then my question to Oxfordshire PCT is, who is?"
Mr Devier suffers from wet, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which leads to deterioration of the centre of the retina and can cause sight loss within three months. Two drugs, Macugen and Lucentis, hailed as breakthrough treatments, have been licensed for NHS use within the past 12 months but cost £9,000 a year for a two-year course
Last month, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) issued draft guidance saying that Macugen was not cost-effective and should not be used on the NHS, and Lucentis should only be used for one in five patients who have a particular type of wet AMD. The decision is still open to consultation and final guidance will be issued in September.
Oxfordshire PCT said it had received a letter from Mr Devier's lawyers which was "under consideration".
* Nice has recommended NHS use of the drug Alimta for the asbestos cancer mesothelioma after earlier guidance said it was not cost-effective. Nice made the decision after examining new evidence.
