The Big Question

Len Smith
Gypsy activist
How can such drugs ever prove themselves to be effective
if they are not subject to lengthy trials? It seems to me that even
the placebo effect of drugs that appear to work has a value until
their clinical effectiveness is known. It would be very wrong to
withdraw these drugs from Alzheimer’s sufferers on cost grounds
alone.

Kierra Box
Young people’s activist
Two pounds fifty a day is a small price to pay for any
improvement these drugs make to patients’ lives. Unproven drugs are
not ineffective drugs and until further trials there seems no
reason to withdraw them. In the meantime, why not investigate the
effects of natural and cheaper remedies such as omega-3 oils and
gingko biloba?

Shaun Webster
Change self-advocacy group
If people need these drugs, they should have them. It will
make their lives terrible if they are withdrawn. It also raises the
issue of the money that’s available for carers to look after people
with Alzheimer’s. The government must put more money into rest
homes for respite and permanent care.

Angie Lawrence
Single mother
It’s not right to withdraw these drugs if they give people with
Alzheimer’s a better life for even a short period. Everybody has a
right to an improved quality of life. You can’t put a price on
that. The government should take some money from somewhere else –
the arms budget for example – to pay for these drugs,