Bestselling author, Terry Pratchett, who suffers from posterior cortical atrophy --a rare form of Alzheimer's-- is questioning why he and other sufferers of Alzheimer's are being denied free access to the drug Aricept in the UK.Pratchett a millionaire who can afford the drug is speaking up on behalf of those that cannot (about 400,000 are being denied). He points to a flawed system that provides Viagra on the NHS while rejecting Aricept.
"My wife and PA both noticed real changes in me after two or three months on it. I used to fumble with buttons and needed help with seat belts. Now, I get dressed normally and seat belts slide in first time. Mentally, it's the difference between a sunny day and an overcast day. Ye Gods, that's worth it!"
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence in the UK, which advises the National Health Service (NHS), ruled that Aricept, along with Reminyl and Exelon, should be prescribed only to those with more severe forms of Alzheimer's. Aricept cost about $5 a day in the UK.
Prachett says that he derived great benefit from Aricept within two or three months of taking the drug.
"My wife and PA both noticed real changes in me after two or three months on it. I used to fumble with buttons and needed help with seatbelts. Now, I get dressed normally and seatbelts slide in first time. Mentally, it's the difference between a sunny day and an overcast day. Ye Gods, that's worth it!"
Questioning how the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence rules on the cost effectiveness of drugs, he said: 'I would very much like to know the basis on which these decisions are made because some of them don't seem to make very much sense.
Terry Pratchett's anger over the life-changing Alzheimer's drug not available on the NHS
Terry Pratchett launches attack on NHS
Bob DeMarco is an Alzheimer's caregiver and editor of the Alzheimer's Reading Room. The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one website on the Internet for advice and insight into Alzheimer's disease. Bob taught at the University of Georgia, was an executive at Bear Stearns, the CEO of IP Group, and is a mentor. He has written more than 700 articles with more than 18,000 links on the Internet. Bob resides in Delray Beach, FL.
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