Cancer drug given approval by NICE
Hundreds of patients with mesothelioma, the incurable asbestos-related cancer, have been given new hope after the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) reconsidered evidence to allow people to be treated with Alimta (Nigel Hawkes writes).
Alimta offers an average of three months extra life. NICE had initially rejected the drug but after an appeal by patient groups, doctors and Eli Lilley, Alimta’s manufacturer, changed its mind. The final guidance, to be published today, will allow most patients to be treated with a combination of Alimta and cisplatin.
MP taken ill in air
Paul Keetch, the Lib Dem MP for Hereford, was in hospital last night after being taken ill on a plane. The Virgin Atlantic flight to the US returned to Britain after Mr Keetch collapsed. It is understood that he was met by his wife and taken to a hospital near Heathrow for treatment. Mr Keetch, the party’s former defence spokesman, recently announced that he would not contest the seat he won in 2005.
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Matchbox man
The engineer who co-founded Matchbox Toys has died. Jack Odell was 87. He was inspired to make his first Matchbox vehicle by his daughter, who was only allowed to take toys to school that would fit into a matchbox. He made a miniature Lesney road roller for her to show off to her classmates. With his business partner, Leslie Smith, Mr Odell was appointed OBE in 1968.
Sea search boy dies
A 15-year-old boy has died after he was caught in strong currents off Wells-next-the-Sea, on the north Norfolk coast. An RAF helicopter took him from the water after almost 90 minutes of searching. He was suffering from hypothermia and died later in Norwich University Hospital. He was with an 11-year-old boy who was saved when a member of the public swam out to rescue him.
Pill for schoolgirls
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More than 200 British schools have given the morning-after pill to girls as young as 11, and thousands have taken one without telling their parents. The figures, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by The Daily Telegraph, show that up to half of schools are giving youngsters free condoms, pregnancy kits and emergency contraception.
Criminals to contest law on jury service
Three convicted criminals are to challenge a recent change in the law that allowed judges, lawyers and police officers to serve on juries (Frances Gibb writes).
In test cases before the House of Lords, two men will claim that their right to a fair trial was breached because the juries that found them guilty included a police officer. A youth found guilty of rape will challenge his verdict on the ground that the jury included a lawyer.
The Criminal Justice Act 2003 tightened the law to end the exemptions from jury service enjoyed by police, judges, lawyers and other middle-class professionals.
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Airline apologises
A pensioner with a kidney complaint was charged £120 by easyJet to take a dialysis machine on holiday with him. Sidney Glassberg, 77, of Ilford, Essex, a retired sales executive, was flying to M?laga, Spain, with his partner, Linda. He had a hospital letter saying that the machine was “life-saving”. EasyJet admitted later that a mistake had been made and promised Mr Glassberg a refund.
Autism widespread
Campaigners have called on the Government to do more to help autistic children after researchers at Cambridge University’s Autism Research Centre found that one in 58 children may have some form of the condition. This is well above the existing estimate of one in 100. The Autism Awareness Campaign UK wants to see better education facilities and improved employment opportunities.
Ale no longer ailing
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Ale is enjoying a popularity surge after years in decline. The drink saw an 8.4 per cent sales increase over the past year, according to TNS Worldpanel. This followed a 0.2 per cent decline over the same period the previous year. Britons spent £364 million on ale bought from shops in the year to April 2007. Brewers are trying to imitate the revival of cider, according to trade magazine The Grocer.
Bowel cancer trigger
A common genetic trigger for bowel cancer has been identified for the first time. The rogue gene lies in a small chromosomal region that has also been linked to breast and prostate cancer. Around half the population are thought to carry it, which increases the risk of developing bowel cancer by about 20 per cent. Around one in 10 cases in the UK is linked to the genetic defect.