Alzheimer's drugs court challenge

[endarkenment]

Source: BBC News

A decision by the government's health watchdog to deny Alzheimer's drugs to patients with mild-stage disease is being challenged at the High Court.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) ruled the medicines - donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine - were not cost effective.

But critics argue the decision process was flawed and did not take into account the benefits to carers.

It is the first time a judicial review has been sought on a NICE decision.



Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6230530.stm

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I thought this was interesting in light of "Sicko" and the looming disinformation campaign that is going to attempt to counter public healthcare. Public healthcare means that when decisions like this one for the British NHS are made, they are made in the public sphere, they can be challenged in the public sphere, they affect everyone the same way, and those making these decisions can be held accountible by the citizens come election time. Contrast that with a private insurance system where decisions like this are made by a myriad of private companies with no obligation to make their decisions public, where challenges to these decisions are between individuals and corporations.