Sunday Times: As Serious As Cancer

A senior NHS consultant, a former gynaecologist and a mother of three who all suffer from a rare blood cancer have been denied life-saving stem cell transplant operations because the NHS may be forced to pay for a drug that protects healthy people against HIV.

The three have undergone months of gruelling chemotherapy to prepare their immune systems for the operations but have now been told that the procedures will not go ahead.

NHS England decided to reassess their treatments after the High Court ruled last month that it must consider paying for the HIV drug.

It will cost an estimated £10m-£20m a year to pay for the HIV treatment, which is known as pre-exposure prophylaxis (Prep). This is a prevention strategy that involves people who are HIV-negative but at a high risk of infection taking a daily pill.

Although the HIV treatment has been hailed as a “game-changer” in the battle against the disease, some argue that priority should be given to those who are already ill rather than those who might become sick...

The Sunday Times - who under Andrew Neil's editorship in the 80s denied there was any link between HIV and Aids.

This is also utter balls - there is no connection.