Maybe the hew and cry over Avastin will get the same results forthose that need it.

From London Daily Telegraph



Timeline of the fight to get drugs to help people going blind
Patients at risk of going blind will have their sight saved under a
unique deal announced by the NHS drugs rationing watchdog.


Last Updated: 6:10PM BST 27 Aug 2008

August 2004 - Nice and Department of Health decide to appraise the
cost effectiveness of drugs, including Lucentis, for wet-AMD.

April 2006 - Scope of the investigation is finalised.

June 2006 - Southampton University are commissioned by Nice to draw
together clinical and cost evidence.

January 2007 - Lucentis is licensed across Europe. Retired Labour MP
Alice Mahon who has wet-AMD campaigns for the drug and Private Members
Bill is tabled for funding.

April 2007 - Ex-serviceman Leslie Howard, 76, told he will have to go
blind in one eye before he can receive treatment in the second eye.

May 2007 - The Royal National Institute for the Blind launch an
advocacy service to help patients fight for the drug.

June 2007 - Preliminary Nice recommendations say only a fifth of
patients should be treated and only those who have got the condition
in both eyes with the better seeing eye to be treated.

- The Scottish version of Nice, the Scottish Medicines Consortium
approved Lucentis.

July 2007 - Nice receive unprecedented 20,000 protests over draft
guidance.

August 2008 - Due to volume of responses Nice delays issuing new
guidance while it trawls through them.

December 2007 - Single eye treatment overturned and dose capping
scheme mooted. Consultation.

April 2008 - Final draft guidance issued which includes dose capping
and says all patients should receive the drug whether they have
condition in first or second eye.

May 2008 - Derbyshire Primary Care Trust and Pfizer, maker of rival
drug Macugen, appeal against the final draft guidance.

June 2008 - Welsh Assembly announced £5m of funding for wet-AMD
patients in Wales.

July 2008 - Many PCTs still refused to fund the drug and three
patients took legal action against Warwickshire PCT and won.

August 2008 - Final guidance issued