War veteran reveals how Parkinson's drug 'changed his life' and speaks of fears after medicine chiefs axe the treatment in Scotland

• BY VIVIENNE AITKEN  8 DEC 2015
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  SUFFERER David fears he may lose access to the treatment he claims has changed his life, as it is only available for prescription in England.

Veteran David was prescribed Duodopa before it was axed in Scotland

A FALKLANDS veteran whose life was transformed by a Parkinson’s wonder drug has slammed a decision to restrict its use in Scotland. 

The Scottish Medicines Consortium yesterday rejected the drug Duodopa for routine use on the NHS north of the Border – although it is cleared for use in England. 

Sufferer David Taylor, from Edinburgh , gets the treatment because NHS Lothian pay £28,028 a year for it. But he fears he may lose the drug that has given him his life back, 

The SMC decision means doctors will not be allowed to routinely prescribe it and must make a case to their health board for each patient.

Two photographs taken of David on June 6 this year show the staggering difference Duodopa can make.

David endured agonising cramps caused by the disease early on June 6

David after taking Duodopa, he was smiling on the hills later the same day

In the first, he is pictured rolling about in agony with severe cramps. The second – shot after he took the drug – shows him out hillwalking.

David, 58, was diagnosed with the degenerative neural condition in 2008. Conventional treatments did not control his symptoms and he had severe side effects.

Last night, he said: “Life was hell for me, my wife and family.

“Even when I was taking medication every 90 minutes, I still struggled to control really violent involuntary movements that often alternated with painful cramps.

“One minute I’d be on the floor in agony, unable to move because of the cramps, and next thing I’d be up having violent, uncoordinated movements.”

David, who spent 18 years in the Royal Scots, added: “After my consultant argued my case for nearly a year, I was finally granted funding for Duodopa by the health board.

“The uncontrolled movements and cramps have gone.

“Duodopa has given me a quality of life I couldn’t have had on any other medication.”

Eight to 10 people with Parkinson’s in Scotland would benefit from easier access to Duodopa each year. Parkinson’s UK blasted the SMC’s decision.

They have written to the SMC and Health Secretary Shona Robison asking for an urgent meeting.

The charity’s Scotland director Katherine Crawford said: “It is essential that people with severe Parkinson’s symptoms that are not responding to other treatments can access Duodopa easily. Access to this treatment must not be allowed to become a postcode lottery.”

Without the drug, its users would need round-the-clock care, costing £40,000 a year each.

NHS Lothian’s geriatric medicine consultant Dr Conor Maguire said: “Although the numbers of patients requiring Duodopa is low, it can be a life-changing treatment.

“Our patients deserve better than this.”

The SMC said they rejected the drug because “the submitting company’s justification of the treatment’s cost in relation to its health benefits was not sufficient and the company did not present a sufficiently robust economic analysis”.

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