A draft decision not to make drugs for a leading cause of blindness widely available on the NHS will cost many people their sight, campaigners say. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) assessed treatments for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
The progression of Parkinson's disease could be slowed or even stopped by a drug commonly used to treat high blood pressure, a study in Nature suggests. Tests on mice at Northwestern University in Chicago showed isradipine can rejuvenate the brain neurons which are dying in Parkinson's patients. The disease, which mainly affects those aged over 40, leads to tremors and ultimately the inability to walk.
US researchers have for the first time injected human stem cells into monkeys with Parkinson's symptoms, seen as a key step in the fight to find a cure. The stem cells, which have been injected into rodents in the past, initially stopped the monkeys' damaged brain cells from deteriorating. The primates' condition did however start to slide after four months, the study in the PNAS journal said. Stem cells offer great hope for cures, but a breakthrough remains elusive.
The NHS treatment watchdog has agreed to review its guidance on the use of three drugs for rheumatoid arthritis. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) will look again at Humira, Enbrel and Remicade. Last year it ruled if a patient did not respond to one of the drugs - from a class known as anti-TNF medicines - they should not get another. But various charities, manufacturers and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) appealed against that decision. The drugs will now undergo a further review of their NHS use.
Providing disabled people with the skills to compete in the job market could deliver significant economic growth, according to a new report. The Social Market Foundation (SMF) says that this could amount to a £35bn boost over 30 years. The foundation's chief economist, Stephen Evans, says the gains are potentially massive and the cost of inaction is "mounting by the day".
Urgent safety studies are needed for newer anti-epilepsy drugs that are being increasingly prescribed for children, say UK researchers. The British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology report says prescriptions have risen five-fold in 13 years. Yet the drugs' long-term safety has not been established, say the researchers.