www.rheumatoid.org.uk/article.php?article_id=535 -
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Published on: 7/21/2008
Last Visited: 8/2/2008
Ailsa Bosworth, Chief Executive of the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, comments:
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Ailsa continues:
"NICE is systematically taking away clinically effective and proven treatments from patients and giving them just one roll of the dice when it comes to Anti-TNF treatment."
This decision flies in the face of the recommendations in Dame Carol Black's recent report - Working for a healthier tomorrow - about supporting people to remain in work and the Department of Work and Pensions' aspirations to have 80% of working age population in work by 2010.1
Ailsa, an RA sufferer herself for 28 years and who is on her third anti-TNF treatment which enables her to work 50-60 hours a week and run an organisation employing 14 people, is concerned that the views of patients have been totally ignored by NICE: