After protests from asbestos cancer victims and patient advocates and an appeal by the drug’s manufacturer, Great Britain’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has revised its position on the drug Alimta, approving it to treat mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs. NICE’s previous ruling had made the drug unavailable to NHS patients in England and Wales, except through clinical trials. Alimta has now been approved for mesothelioma patients with advanced cancer for whom surgery is not appropriate, but who can still perform daily tasks. Mesothelioma is caused by asbestos, developing many years after exposure.
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