Life 'not normal' after drug ration (From Oxford Mail)

Life 'not normal' after drug ration

A cancer patient says he can no longer live a normal life after the NHS started rationing erectile dysfunction drugs.

Simon Lord

Simon Lord, 52, from Cholsey near Wallingford, lost important nerves after an operation to remove his prostate more than a year ago.

But last month, the NHS cut the number of free pills patients like him can have from one a week to one a month in a bid to halve the county’s £700,000 annual bill for treatment of the condition.

Married Mr Lord said: “I felt really badly let down. This is not an expensive drug and it is essential for me to live a normal life. They haven’t considered the men with prostate cancer and I think that is really unprofessional.

“My cancer was not something I could avoid. It was not a result of a lifestyle choice. And the treatment I had was superb, but if you are going to treat someone properly you have to follow it with the appropriate care.”

Across the country about half of men aged between 40 and 70 suffer from some degree of erectile dysfunction – meaning some 50,000 are affected in Oxfordshire.

Mr Lord, of Downside, was diagnosed with the disease in July 2010 and had surgery on the NHS in November that year. The father of three daughters has since been taking 40mg of Cialis/Tadalafil per week to improve blood flow and help tackle erectile dysfunction.

He said: “It is an embarrassing topic for most men. Most men will probably not challenge or question this decision and will think ‘well that’s it’.

“It is a disease of old men and old men don’t make headlines or press coverage. But I think I have a responsibility for everybody with it to speak up.

“There will be some people that make jokes but I don’t think they would be laughing if they were in my situation. They (the NHS) should be able to come up with a solution that covers all of us.”

NHS Oxfordshire spokesman Emily MacDonald said the move was based on a recommendation made by the South Central Priorities Committee, which covers primary care trusts in the region.

She also said it was based on clinical evidence, cost effectiveness and financial impact on the NHS.

She said: “Earlier this year, the PCT amended its policy on treatments for erectile dysfunction to take account of these recommendations, as well as their affordability, in the context of the local health economy.

“This policy does not prohibit prescribing, but forms a recommendation to GPs.”