Hi guys
Just wondered, if you were aware/interested in this off-patent drugs bill reading. It’s due for a second reading this Friday
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done it xxx
I’ve done the contacting my MP thing (takes 5 minutes). Very interesting that Simvastatin is the drug highlighted - I’m on it and have seen big improvements in my bladder control.
Thanks for posting this link, I’ve done it, just surprised more people haven’t !
Just done it, and will be asking my partner and others to do so as well.
Thanks for posting, Blossom
Hi Everyone,
I read the link and fired off the email to my MP.
The link creates the email for you so not much effort required.
This is really important and as many of us as possible should get behind it by sending the email.
Great that the MS Society is pushing this, perhaps they could send a global email to all members?
Good idea Dave99. I noticed the link on my facebook page.
this is the email i had back about this
Dear Mr Scott
Thank you for your email to Mr Burt of 3 November 2014.
Unfortunately Alistair will be unable to attend the second reading of the Off-Patent Drugs Bill on 7 November as he is overseas on Parliamentary business at that time.
He will be sending a staff representative on his behalf, and a full reply will be sent to you shortly.
Thank you again for taking the time to write.
Kind regards
Helena Gilfedder
Hi Everybody,
Like many others I used the MS Society website to email my MP Kate Green (Labour) asking for her to support the off-patent drugs bill on it’s second reading last Friday.
She kindly did so and today sent me an email, the main paragraphs of interest are as follows……
“I apologise for the short delay in getting back to you but I wanted to let you know that I was in Westminster to support the Bill, and voted accordingly. However, the Government decided to withhold support and actively took steps to block any further progress through Parliament.”
“Improving safe and timely access to medicines that can benefit patients is something that my Labour and colleagues and I want to achieve. Getting access to new drugs can benefit many patients where existing treatments haven’t been effective and this bill would allow more patients to access existing drugs. This is why Labour came out in support of the Bill and why we are contacting the Health Secretary asking that he reviews the Government’s position.”
I don’t think this Government cares about us one bit.
Thanks,
Dave.
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According to the Barts blog, this has been resurrected and has a second reading in the Commons on 6th November -
http://multiple-sclerosis-research.blogspot.com/2015/07/guest-post-private-members-bill-now-its.html
As it says in the article, this doesn’t just affect MS, it’s cancer and several other conditions as well, and will cost our hard-pressed NHS so little, it just seems like a no-brainer to me.
Jo x
Jo - lnteresting link. l have been interested in vitd3 - for many years. l have a friend who - about 10yrs ago - was diagnosed with inoperable prostate cancer. His wife contacted a oncologist in US - after some research and approached him for help. He agreed to see him but advised her to get her husband to start taking 60.000ius of vitd3 daily - at once. Which she did. She was told this would give him the best chance of a successful outcome/recovery. The op was successful and he now has had the all-clear for some years. AND still takes his vitd3 - in a high dose.
Another friend - who works in a nursing home. She said told me that they give vitd3 supplements to patients as it has shown that it protects them from fractures from falls etc. Also, they give them a high dose B12 - this she said helps prevent dementia. Both supplements very cheap - but the advantages priceless. Apparently, most elderly patients are prescribed meds that unfortunately deplete B12.
Hi All,
off patent drugs bill comes back. This is something everybody should want, not just MSers! Lets get all our MPs behind it this time.
The Bart’s blog sums it up nicely…
“Jonathan Peter Evans was a Welsh Conservative Party MP who had a private members bill that got nowhere because our lazy MPs could not be bothered to attend the readings. Now Nick Thomas-Symonds is Labour MP for Torfaen in Wales tries the same thing.”
please, email your MP at…
http://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-your-mp/contacting-your-mp/
If we don’t do this sort of thing the politicians and others will just carry on ignoring us.
Dave.
Hi
strange how you were told he was overseas. He was definitely there.
Who is Gilfedder
At least this time there were members of Parliament who could have voted - if they hadn’t been silenced by dirty tactics by a health minister who filibustered the motion out. Disgraceful. Absolutely disgraceful
So we are all in this together are we? My a**e we are
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Shockingly, this man was a Minister for Disabled People in the 1990s too and writes in his blog about “walking a mile in my shoes” campaigns for improved access - well he is welcome to hobble a mile in mine if he wants.
Bad cess to him and his political and industry (?) paymasters.
When he was Minister for Murdoch (http://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/may/24/jeremy-hunt-minister-murdoc…) he wanted to cancel the tribute to the NHS, in the Olympic opening ceremony. It was in the Guardian, so must be true.
The Minister who did the dirty deed yesterday wasn’t Jeremy Hunt, it was Alistair BURT (MP for NE Bedfordshire).
He is Junior Minister in the Health Department so he is one of Mr Hunt’s boot boys. He has previous form for supporting legislation to prevent charities and other interest groups campaigning during elections (presumably because most of them would not be campaigning FOR the Conservatives).
Apparently he used the expression “shroud waving” in the debate yesterday with reference to support for the bill coming from Breat Cancer charities. Hmmmmmmmm.
This thread was a year ago. Despite obvious similarities, it’s not the same campaign as the recent one, but just to confuse things further, they’re a year apart so the dates all look similar. I’m assuming he was overseas this time last year, but not lately.
Tina
The Barts Blog published a transcript of the debate and although very long, the opening comments are worth reading.
http://multiple-sclerosis-research.blogspot.com/2015/11/off-patent-drugs-bill-debate.html
I admit to being an old leftie, but how you can effectively oppose a bill that costs pennies and might benefit millions is beyond me.
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