2 Saturday June 11 2022 | the times
News
Hundreds of thousands of patients will
be eligible for a new drug to prevent
heart attacks and strokes after it was
approved by the NHS treatments
watchdog.
The National Institute for Health
and Care Excellence (Nice) said
icosapent ethyl, also called Vazcepa,
could be used in people who have
higher levels of blood fats.
It can be used in people who have
controlled levels of “bad” cholesterol,
via taking a statin, but still have raised
levels of a blood fat called triglycerides,
putting them at increased risk of heart
attacks and strokes.
Nice said it expected about 425,
people to benefit from the drug, which
is made by Amarin in America.
Although triglycerides play an essen-
tial role in keeping the body healthy, too
much in the blood has been linked to a
higher risk of cardiovascular events. It
can damage arteries carrying blood in
organs including the heart, brain, kid-
neys and eyes.
Helen Knight, interim director of
medicines evaluation at Nice, said:
“Icosapent ethyl is the first licensedThousands to benefit from
drug to ward off strokes
Kat Lay Health Editor treatment of its kind for people who are
at risk of heart attacks and strokes
despite well controlled LDL cholesterol
because they have raised blood fats.
Although lifestyle changes, including
diet and exercise, can reduce their risk,
these may not work for everyone.”
An interim decision from Nice did
not recommend the treatment. The
revised ruling approves it for a
narrower group of patients than the
manufacturers had envisaged.
Knight said: “We have worked close-
ly with the company to identify the
population most likely to gain the
greatest benefit from icosapent ethyl,
striking a balance between effective-
ness and the best use of public funding.”
NHS England estimated that
between a quarter and a third of people
taking statins have elevated triglyceride
levels. Before this there were no medici-
nes targeting them.
Clinical trials of the drug showed
icosapent ethyl could cut the risk of
heart attacks and strokes by a quarter
compared with a placebo, when used in
people who had cardiovascular disease.
The drug is taken orally as two
capsules twice a day. It costs about £
for a pack of 120 capsules.Monkeypox
linked to
unsafe sex
Tom Whipple Science EditorMonkeypox is almost exclusively
spreading among gay and bisexual men
and is associated with risky sexual prac-
tices, according to the most detailed
breakdown of cases so far in England.
The UK Health Security Agency has
published a survey of the first 330 cases
in England. The data reveals that 99 per
cent of those infected were male. Of the
152 who answered the question, all but
one identified as having sex with men.
Monkeypox is not believed to be
specifically sexually transmitted, but
spreads through close contact, in parti-
cular skin to skin. Because it had not
previously spread well between
humans, though, there were concerns
that it had mutated to become more
transmissible. The fact that it appears
not to have done so suggests it may be
easier to contain than had been feared.
Scientists have cautioned that it is
still possible that the known cases are
skewed towards gay and bisexual men
because the community is historically
more likely to test for diseases
associated with sex.Income tax cuts should be brought
forward to next year to help stimulate
the economy, Sajid Javid has suggested.
In an interview with The Times, the
health secretary said that Rishi Sunak’s
plans for a 1p cut in income tax in 2024
should be accelerated if the economic
outlook improves. He said that the
Tories need to be more “radical” and
focus more on “conservative issues”
after four in 10 Tory MPs voted to
remove the prime minister from office.
Javid is the first cabinet minister to
make a public call for income tax cuts
to be brought forward to next year as
Boris Johnson attempts to shore up his
authority.
Earlier this week the prime minister
said that the fact the tax burden is on
course to be the highest since the 1940s
is an “aberration”. However he declined
to say when tax cuts will come.
No 10 and No 11 have been resisting a
push by cabinet ministers to bring in
personal tax cuts in the autumn budget,
which will focus on cutting business
taxes to encourage investment.
Asked if tax cuts could be broughtWe must be more radical and
fast-track tax cuts, says Javid
Steven Swinford Political Editor
Chris Smyth Whitehall Editorforward, Javid said: “I know he [Sunak]
will want to cut taxes as soon as he can.
And if that can be brought forward, of
course, it should be brought forward.
“I want to see a small state that focus-
es on delivery of the things that really
matter. And I want to see taxes as low as
possible.”
While backing the prime minister to
lead the party into the next election,
Javid said that voters wanted to see
“honesty and delivery” from the gov-
ernment. “Most colleagues would
agree, especially given what happened
on Monday night, that people want to
see the government boldly, radically
taking on the challenges the country
faces,” he said.
Declaring the Covid pandemic over,
Javidsaid the NHS it would not be get-
ting any more money and braced
patients for years of rising waiting lists.
He said: “The NHS now has locked in
the resources it needs. It doesn’t need
any more money... it needs reform.
“The NHS this year, its budget is big-
ger than the GDP of Greece. We esti-
mate by the end of this parliament it
will account for more than 40 per cent
of day-to-day government spending.”
However he said he did not want to cutthe NHS budget. “The question then
would really be what would you cut?
And I don’t want to see important
health services cut. What you can
certainly do is reduce the growth of
NHS spending and deliver more at the
same time.”
Javid also argued that Britain needs
to build new towns and cities to help
resolve the housing crisis. “We do need
to build more homes, of course we do,
because it’s supply and demand.”
Citing his own background as the son
of a poor Pakistani immigrant, Javid
insisted that he understood the cost of
living pressures people are facing.
However, he said that did not mean he
favoured more government support:
“It’s right to help people where you can
but to accept that the government can-
not mitigate every impact within a high
inflation environment for every single
person. What you focus on is growth.
Economic growth is our way out.”
Javid’s intervention came after Lord
Frost, the former Brexit secretary, said
Johnson must cut taxes to save his
premiership. He compared No 10 to the
“cockpit of a crashing airliner” where
“dashboard lights are all flashing red.”
Saturday interview, page 36-Junior doctors are threatening to strike
over pay, while criminal law barristers
are being balloted on action that would
bring crown court trials to a halt.
The British Medical Association said
yesterday that junior doctors had
backed a campaign to press ministers
for the “full restoration of their pay”.
They claimed that their real wages had
fallen by 22 per cent in 12 years and that
rising inflation was accelerating losses.
A potential strike was approved, with
officials saying it would take place by
early next year “at the latest”.
“No junior doctor wants to feel that
industrial action is their only option,If a section of your Times is missing, please call 020-7711 1525 or e-mail
[email protected] and we will send it to you, subject to availability.
THE WEATHER
2221331218
21
19171413Mostly dry in England with sunny
spells; scattered showers elsewhere,
some heavy. Full forecast, page 77
Algae protein
on the menu
Britons should eat
meat-like proteins
from algae, wild
venison and
homegrown cucumbers,
ministers will say in
plans for a sustainable
food system. Page 8Cambridge
donor disputeHospitals still
barring visitors
Hospitals are refusing
to allow patients to
receive visitors, despite
orders from the top of
the NHS for
pre-pandemic
visiting policies to be
reinstated. Page 4
US inflation
spooks markets
American inflation
accelerated to a
40-year high of 8.6 per
cent last month,
prompting a renewed
sell-off in global
equity markets
yesterday. Page 47Tories shun
‘Muslim critic’
The Tory party has
distanced itself from
“anti-Muslim” remarks
by one of its donors,
Maurizio Bragagni,
the Republic of
San Marino’s consul
to Britain. Page 15
FOLLOW US
thetimes timesandsundaytimes thetimesJesus College,
Cambridge, accepted a
gift worth hundreds of
thousands of pounds
from Jianxiang Shi, an
investor considered to
be one of China’s most
wanted men. Page 5COMMENT 25
LEADING ARTICLES 29REGISTER 78
CROSSWORD 83TV & RADIO
SATURDAY REVIEWTrump fury
at daughter
Donald Trump turned
on his daughter Ivanka
as he furiously denied
claims that he had
orchestrated an
attempted coup during
last year’s riot at the
US Capitol. Page 40TODAY’S EDITION
COST OF LIVING
Practical steps
to navigate
the crisis
PULLOUTSTOKES REGRET
England dropped
catches against
New Zealand
PULLOUT, COVER STORYFIVE A DAY?
Bars are adding
vegetables
to cocktails
PULLOUT, PAGES 12-MONEY MENTOR SPORT WEEKENDDAB RADIO l ONLINE l SMART SPEAKER l APPTo day’s highlights
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e-mail [email protected]Kirstie Allsopp says hospitals
must update their visiting rules
Alexis Conran’s political frenemies are the
former ministers David Davis and
Dame Margaret Hodge
Aisling Loftus, right, star of Sky’s
adaptation of The Midwich Cuckoos
Christina McAnea, Unison general secretary
Ayesha Hazarika’s comedy panel
with Laura Lexx and Ian StoneDoctors and lawyers threaten strikes over pay
Jonathan Ames Legal Editor but increasingly we are facing little
choice,” said Dr Sarah Hallett and Dr
Mike Kemp, co-leaders of the BMA’s
junior doctors’ committee.
About 2,500 members of the Crimi-
nal Bar Association will be balloted
today on escalating a work-to-rule that
has been in place for six weeks. Barris-
ters are in dispute with the Ministry of
Justice over legal aid rates, saying that
in some cases junior lawyers are paid
less than the minimum wage.
In an attempt to head off action
earlier this year, ministers said that they
had boosted legal aid funding for crimi-
nal cases by £135 million, which
amounted to about a 15 per cent rise.
However, barristers argued that not allof that went to them as it was spread
over all advocates in the criminal
courts, which includes solicitors.
Barristers have claimed that at least a
25 per cent increase to legal aid rates is
needed to stem the tide of junior law-
yers deserting the profession. The bal-
lot on a full strike is to run for a week.
Ministry of Justice figures this week
showed that the backlog of cases in the
crown courts in England and Wales
stood at between 58,000 and 60,000.
It said that the backlog “has fallen
thanks to our decisive action and the
hard work of legal professionals includ-
ing criminal barristers, who as a result
of our reforms will earn nearly £7,
extra per year.”Banca do Antfer
Telegram: https://t.me/bancadoantfer
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