We should be on BBC Breakfast this AM, too, BBC Radio Scotland at lunch time, South Today and South East Today, Inside Health on Radio 4 on Tuesday, and Newsnight on Friday. 2/8
These ads highlight the plight of the forgotten 500k immunocompromised individuals in the UK who are denied Evusheld by UK government policy. The advertising was designed pro bono by The&Partnership with media secured by mSix&Partners. They have been SO generous. 3/8
The #Forgotten500k campaign is set to run and run. We hope this is a show of power to the government, demonstrating that we will not go away! (Even if the government does 😬.) 4/8
We have a podcast from Andy Coulson’s “Crisis What Crisis?” series, a silent vigil in Parliament Square, a digital ad van circling Westminster, a Tortoise Media “Think In” event and the delivery of a letter personally by the group and charities to Number 10 Downing Street. 5/8
The goal of the campaign is to get the government to change its course on Evusheld. We have written to the Secretary of State for Health, @theresecoffey, the Health Minister, @RobertJenrick, and the Chancellor @jeremy_hunt. #Forgotten500k 6/8
The campaign has its own Facebook page to tell people new to the issue about Evusheld and it will be updated with new stories and adverts. Please do LIKE the page to help its organic growth: facebook.com/forgotten500k 7/8
Finally, the campaign site! None of this would be possible w/out the support from our charities & the pro bono media specialists.
A brief thread on rheumatoid arthritis prompted by another terrible article about it in The Times. This illness is so badly understood in the general population. People hear "arthritis" and imagine a mild osteoarthritis "like my granny had".
Rheumatoid arthritis is, instead, an autoimmune disease in which the body's own immune system attacks the joints *and other internal organs*. It is treated with heavy immunosuppression. Osteoarthritis, on the other hand, is caused by "wear and tear" on the joints.
The first thing to say is: osteoarthritis is also awful. Disabling, painful, and NOT to be trivialised. That this condition is seen as an affliction of seniority and therefore not given due seriousness is very wrong.
AstraZeneca has just announced the private availability of Evusheld in the UK. While we recognise that this will allow some people to access the drug, we are of course disappointed that it has come to this. 1/4
Our campaign is unchanged by this development. As we have stated from the outset, we exist for one purpose: “to get this drug introduced in the UK with access for all those who need it. 2/4
This includes roll out to all vulnerable people who are less likely to have mounted a response to vaccination”. We continue to believe that the only equitable route is via full NHS availability, free at the point of use. 3/4
We’d like to invite you to join us, tomorrow, Thursday 20th October, 1-2pm, online, for a special discussion hosted by Tortoise Media about the Government's refusal to make Evusheld available on the NHS!
The panel includes Lord Mendelsohn; @libdemdaisy MP; @drlennardlee, Academic Clinical Lecturer in Medical Oncology at the University of Oxford; @MarkOak04974342, Evusheld for the UK, and @rowntron, Director of Research, Services and Engagement at Blood Cancer UK.
Research* Playbook today hits the nail on the head today -- and it's bleak. UK HE funding is now in a catastrophic death spiral with no relief possible or planned. 1/4
"With inflation predicted to exceed 10 per cent this month, the student loan repayment threshold is already plummeting in real terms, just as the value of the undergraduate tuition fee is withering on the vine." 2/4
"We are quickly approaching the point, if we are not there already, at which universities in England cannot afford to teach English undergraduates." 3/4
In this case, they are claiming that there is uncertainty about the efficacy against Omicron due to lab-based testing showing reduced neutralisation. They want a trial with placebo.
Yet Al-Obaidi et al. from the University of Arizona say different 2/15
"While a recent in-vitro study showed reduced antibody neutralization of [Evusheld] against Omicron variants, this did not have a significant clinical outcome in our study or similar studies during the Omicron period" 3/15
Even if you are not someone who would benefit from Evusheld, the government's decision-making process here should alarm you. From what the DHSC has published, just 4 people, with little expertise in the area, have blocked the treatment of 500k people. A brief thread 🧵 1/8
The DHSC "report" is here. The first thing to say is that this is pretty weak. It's just a summary of the papers and says "the quality of the data is insufficient". This is so flimsy that we can barely challenge it. 2/8 gov.uk/government/pub…
In this report, we're told that the appraisal was made by "senior members of RAPID C-19". Four people are listed: James Palmer, Helen Knight, Daniel McAuley, and Krishna Prasad. Only 2 of these are doctors: James Palmer and Krishna Prasad. 3/8