Consultant condemns delay over Avastin use

Mr Mike Lavin claimed that as a result of the NHS' and NICE's previous failings, patients with conditions such as wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) were denied timely treatment and were very badly served between late 2005 to late 2008.

Lavin, a surgeon at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital with a private practice, revealed that he and others had requested that NICE review Avastin in 2006 and 2007. He told Optician that they were advised that NICE's remit prevented any review of an off-label product without the request of the drug owner and any change would require a change in the statutory instrument governing NICE's remit.