A personal account - the second installment

There are about 750 00 suffers of Rheumatoid Arthritis in the UK. Rheumatoid arthritis is where the body's own immune system attacks the joints, causing painful inflammation and eventually leading to bone erosion and possible surgery. There are some conventional treatments for this disease, but most have side effects and the possibility of flare ups (where the inflammatory activity increases) is very real. However, a new drug treatment called ENBREL was given its licence in the UK in June 2000. TNF (Tumour Necrosis Factor) has had spectacular results in clinical tests. With patients having a greatly increased quality of life, as inflammation has been kept to a minimum, reducing bone erosion and hence reducing the need for surgical intervention to replace affected joints. However, the English Government will not release extra funding for this drug despite its known advantages over other disease - modifying treatments.

Through this Internet petition it is hoped that enough signatures will be raised to sway the English Government to ask NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) to make funds available to treat more patients with TNF, allowing more people to lead a more active and fulfilling life.

If you think that you could co-ordinate a paper version of this petition in your local arthritis center or hospital please contact info@ra-petition.org.uk