UK charity demands anti-TNF drugs for AS

More on the accessibility of anti-TNF-alpha drugs in the UK, or the lack thereof (see previous entry): a British charity, the Arthritis Research Council, wants anti-TNF treatments for ankylosing spondylitis to be funded nationwide (there are some local trials on AS patients already under way). Until it's approved by NICE, patients will have to spend £10,000/year on anti-TNF therapies, despite the fact that they've been licenced for the treatment of AS since 2003. NICE is not scheduled to review anti-TNFs before February 2007 -- hence the ARC's impatience.

Update, 1/04: Times coverage.