Sufferers of asbestos related diseases, including mesothelioma, have been offered hope a cure may be closer than first thought as a drug which has been successful in helping patients with lung scarring is being tested against asbestosis.
The drug, known as nintedanib, was used in a clinical trial by 1,213 patients who all had idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) which has symptoms very similar to those of asbestosis. During the trial, patients displayed a much-improved lung capacity and were able to exhale normally after taking a larger breath, which they were unable to do before taking the drug. It is now being seen as a viable treatment option for asbestosis, mesothelioma, glioblastoma (a form of brain cancer), prostate cancer, and several other severe illnesses.
Trials of nintedanib have begun in the USA on patients who have mesothelioma and have not begun chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment. It was recently approved in the EU as a treatment for advanced lung-cancer following chemotherapy treatment.
Up to now, there is no known cure for mesothelioma and the outlook for sufferers is usually very bleak.
The drug works by inhibiting the process of blood vessel formation around tumours causing them to shrink and die. By starving tumours of oxygen and nutrients, nintedanib kills cancerous cells and is seen as having less harmful side-effects than traditional treatments such as chemotherapy. Blood vessel formation is also vital to tumour survival so by cutting off this act, the drug may prove to be more effective.
There are currently 20 asbestos-related deaths each week – or 2,400 each year – in the UK according to the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) latest report, with as many of 1.3 million tradesmen putting themselves at risk up to 100 times a year through a lack of awareness about exposure levels. Many sufferers do not know they have the disease or develop symptoms much later in life as it typically takes between 10 and 40 years in some cases for them to show.
Mesothelioma is caused by the fibres in asbestos breaking up when disturbed and finding their way into the lungs of anyone breathing them in. Individuals who have been exposed to the material for a long time are more at risk of the disease but there are cases where workers have only been exposed once to asbestos and still caught the disease.
Compensation pay-outs for asbestos related illnesses and deaths are expected to reach £32 million this year following the Government’s new scheme which was launched in early 2014. 232 applications had been made so far and 131 pay-outs had been received. Many cases go unclaimed as families of victims are unable to trace who is directly responsible due to the amount of places people have worked where exposure could have taken place, and companies are no longer in existence.
The HSE also believes asbestosis claims have not yet peaked and may not do so until 2020 as more cases emerge.
If you or a family member has been exposed to asbestos and you would like some help and advice, we can help. Call us on 0800 028 2060 to speak to a member of the team or visit our dedicated website – www.asbestosisclaims.com for more information.