The United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recently issued guidelines for the use and administration of Alimta therapy for UK residents with mesothelioma. NICE is the independent organization responsible for providing guidance on the promotion of good health and the prevention and treatment of ill health for the UK.

The NICE guidelines dictate that Alimta is to be used only for patients with a current “World Health Organization performance status of 0 or 1, who are considered to have advanced disease and for whom surgical resection is considered inappropriate.” With NICE’s recommendation now official, patients under the care of the National Health System will be able to receive Alimta if they are eligible for it. The issuance of the guidelines caps a two-and-a-half-year process of filings and appeals to bring what is considered the best drug available for the treatment of pleural mesothleioma to British patients who need it.

Note: The article linked from this page identifies mesothelioma as a form of lung cancer. While common to do so, this is incorrect. Mesothelioma and lung cancer are very different forms of cancer. To learn more about the differences between mesothelioma and lung cancer, please read the following article: mesothelioma and lung cancer.

Labels: mesothelioma