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Asthma UK Cymru comment on the decision by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to approve the drug Xolair for use
Asthma UK Cymru comment on the decision by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to approve the drug Xolair for use
28 November 2007
Janet Pardue-Wood, National Director of Asthma UK Cymru, says:
‘We are thrilled with NICE’s decision, which is a victory for people with severe, allergic asthma in Wales, who have fought to receive this life-changing drug.
Asthma UK Cymru has campaigned hard for this drug to be made available on the NHS, however, we wouldn’t have achieved this result without the commitment of people with asthma and clinicians who supported our case.
‘Existing asthma treatments just don’t work for around half a million people across the UK living with difficult to control asthma. Xolair will be suitable for a small number of these people and will literally transform their lives. It will give them the opportunity to do the everyday activities that have always been a struggle or sometimes impossible, such as going to work, taking a holiday, having a night out or just walking to the shops.
‘This treatment really can mean the difference between a life worth living and having no quality of life at all.’
Carol Trudgill was the first person in South Wales to receive Xolair. She says:
‘I used to feel about a 100 years old, just getting up off a chair was exhausting, my ribs hurt from gasping all the time and I was always scared my lungs would never again get enough air into them. I was also in and out of hospital, including intensive care, and was constantly afraid that my next asthma attack would kill me.
‘I suffered from depression and was too ill to work. My asthma took over mine and my whole family’s life. But now everything’s different – I can go on holiday, exercise and work. Xolair is a godsend – it’s given me my life back.’
‘We are thrilled with NICE’s decision, which is a victory for people with severe, allergic asthma in Wales, who have fought to receive this life-changing drug.
Asthma UK Cymru has campaigned hard for this drug to be made available on the NHS, however, we wouldn’t have achieved this result without the commitment of people with asthma and clinicians who supported our case.
‘Existing asthma treatments just don’t work for around half a million people across the UK living with difficult to control asthma. Xolair will be suitable for a small number of these people and will literally transform their lives. It will give them the opportunity to do the everyday activities that have always been a struggle or sometimes impossible, such as going to work, taking a holiday, having a night out or just walking to the shops.
‘This treatment really can mean the difference between a life worth living and having no quality of life at all.’
Carol Trudgill was the first person in South Wales to receive Xolair. She says:
‘I used to feel about a 100 years old, just getting up off a chair was exhausting, my ribs hurt from gasping all the time and I was always scared my lungs would never again get enough air into them. I was also in and out of hospital, including intensive care, and was constantly afraid that my next asthma attack would kill me.
‘I suffered from depression and was too ill to work. My asthma took over mine and my whole family’s life. But now everything’s different – I can go on holiday, exercise and work. Xolair is a godsend – it’s given me my life back.’
