In important breaking news, the Independent reports that around 20,000 men a year with prostate cancer could benefit from a combination of drugs that boost survival dramatically, citing new research. It reports that a clinical trial run by Cancer Research UK – believed to be the biggest cancer treatment trial in the world – has found that giving two therapies at once cuts disease progression and offers some patients the chance of a cure. Researchers say the new drug regime could “transform the treatment” of 20,000 men newly diagnosed with the disease each year in England.
Hope for 20,000 prostate cancer patients after ‘world’s biggest treatment’ trial | The Independent
Unfortunately, UK cancer treatment by the NHS, the UK’s public health body, is seriously behind other advanced countries, like Germany. With the UK days away from a general election, public health policy is one of the key areas that divides the major parties.
Theresa May called a snap election, widely expected to gain a landslide victory, strengthening her hand ahead of the historic Brexit negotiations.
Unfortunately, May has had a terrible campaign, slipping on one banana skin after the next, ready to abandon the Conservative Party manifesto 2017 as the going got tough. Critically, the Conservatives’ manifesto contained no costings or risk assessment, unlike the Liberal Democrats or indeed Labour.
Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn, expected to be a calamity, has had a brilliant campaign, and the UK public have identified with the Labour Party’s promises. Unbelievably, the May’s team have been forced to just talk about Labour’s money tree because they the Conservatives were so weak on costings and risk assessment.
For years, the UK has been a pioneer in scientific research but ineffective government policy and poorly managed industry has lost out on innovation and taking winning research to market. As my colleague and fellow blogger, John Gelmini, has repeatedly identified, major UK corporations have had poor leadership, despite being hugely overpaid, with interlocking directorships protecting a narrow class of the privileged, despite ineffective performance in critical areas like innovation, exporting and workforce training.
May is still favorite to win but there are still chances of a hung parliament, which could result in a left-wing coalition.
Most commentators have focused on May’s train-crash campaign and Jeremy Corbyn’s increasing popularity with the UK public. Nobody has so far focused on cold feet about Brexit?
Could we still see a reversal on the UK’s Brexit decision perhaps?
Thoughts?
Dr Alf's Blog 