Eye surgeon calls for Avastin on the NHS

A leading consultant ophthalmic surgeon has called for the incoming government to allow the use of Avastin, a much cheaper age-related macular degeneration (AMD)drug than Lucentis, on the NHS.

Mr Mike Lavin, a surgeon at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital with a private practice, told Optician: 'Gordon Brown and Patricia Hewitt blocked NHS access to both Avastin and Lucentis in 2006, 2007 and 2008, despite the fact that these drugs were widely available in other countries for the treatment of macular disease.

'In the future we need to ensure less political interference and more freedom for doctors to use the best treatments on the basis of scientific evidence regarding benefit, safety and relative cost.'