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The drug watchdog for England and Wales is delivering an "early Christmas present" for the UK’s many residents living with the risk of blindness.

After receiving 13,000 complaints, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is now recommending that NHS patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are eligible for 14 injections of Lucentis per eye.

Draft recommendations published in June proposed denying treatment to 80 per cent of patients with the condition, which is the UK’s leading cause of blindness.

Steve Winyard, head of campaigns at the Royal National Institute of Blind people (RNIB) remarked that "thousands of people" could soon have their sight saved.

"NICE has given thousands of people the best Christmas present they could wish for - hope that their sight might be saved," he stated.

Mr Winyard continued: "26,000 people in the UK develop wet-AMD each year and there are desperate people across the country today being denied drugs that could stop them from going blind."

Macugen, a second sight-saving drug under consideration, is yet to be recommended for use on the NHS.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people with medical conditions

Individuals experiencing severe obesity problems, as a result of diabetes or otherwise, could reduce their risk of death with weight loss surgery.

According to an article published by German scientists in the latest issue of the Lancet, the worldwide incidence of "bariatric surgical procedures" has increased more than fivefold in five years in most developed countries.

In a new study they investigated the gastric-restrictive type of bariatric surgery, which limits food intake, as well as the malabsorption type, which decreases the amount of food absorbed in the digestive tract.

Both methods’ effectiveness has traditionally been measured in terms of weight reduction, while the latest study explored their effect on "obesity-related co-morbidities", affecting a range of systems including the heart and metabolism.

"New data indicate that at least some bariatric procedures exert their beneficial metabolic effects not only by weight loss but also through a change in hormone release from the gut," wrote Dr Michael Korenkov and co-worker Dr Stefan Sauerland.

They continued: "This finding corresponds to clinical observations that obesity in patients with diabetes is especially amenable to bariatric surgery."

As well as obesity, diabetes sufferers face the risk of cardiovascular disease, kidney failure and blindness, which all significantly reduce life expectancy and quality of life.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with diabetes or obesity

Life insurance in the UK is easier to come by as critical illness treatments improve and people live longer, it has been claimed.

According to independent financial advisers Libra Financial Planning, insurance providers "are not expecting people to die" and therefore they offer products at a lower price.

"The impact of medical improvements is quite significant on our population and that’s why people are living longer…healthier lifestyles, those sorts of things," confirmed a spokesperson for the group.

"Life insurance companies aren’t expecting people to die - they’re more likely to have a critical illness like cancer or heart disease," the financial specialist continued.

Recent figures released by the Financial Services Authority revealed that life expectancy for British men will be 81 by 2031, while women are predicted to live until the age of 85 on average.

Libra’s representative concluded that the UK’s life insurance market has been the largest in Europe and the third largest in the world because it is "very competitive" with a varied and sophisticated range of products.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people with medical conditions

Diabetes sufferers taking certain medications may run a greater risk of having a heart attack than patients on other drugs for the condition.

Canadian scientists studied older patients on thiazolidinediones (TZDs), which include rosiglitazone.

Published in the online issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the work follows previous research indicating that the treatments may raise the risk of congestive heart failure, with rosiglitazone linked to a higher risk of acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) and death.

"While improved glycemic control has been linked to better clinical outcomes in diabetes and TZDs have been suggested as having potential cardiovascular benefits, recent concerns have arisen regarding adverse cardiac effects of these drugs," confirmed Dr Lorraine Lipscombe from Toronto’s Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences.

Her team monitored more than 150,000 diabetics taking oral hypoglycemic drugs over four years and concluded that individuals taking TZDs alone appeared to have a 60 per cent higher risk of congestive heart failure, a 40 per cent increased risk of heart attack, and a 28 per cent higher risk of death.

US researchers recently suggested that reducing the inflammation associated with type-one diabetes would also contribute to cutting cardiovascular disease.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people with diabetes

A study of the benefits of a chemical compound of the cannabis plant for multiple sclerosis (MS) sufferers has received a £120,000 cash donation.

Funded by the MS Society, the trial investigating the effects of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was given the cash injection by the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts.

"[This] study is based on encouraging observations from a previous clinical trial and we are hopeful the eventual outcome will mean a better quality of life for people disabled by the devastating effects of MS," explained Lee Dunster, head of research and information at the MS Society.

Previous studies of THC have indicated its ability to help combat nerve fibre damage and loss.

Consisting of a randomised trial in 500 people with primary and secondary progressive MS, the charity’s latest work is the only phase-three trial for neuro-protection in MS.

A chronic inflammatory condition affecting 2.5 million people worldwide, there is no treatment currently available to slow down the rate of disability in MS.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people with medical conditions

Scientists believe they have discovered potential new ways to treat breast cancer.

In a study published in an online edition of the Nature Genetics journal, researchers from Sweden and the US outlined how a variant of the BRCA1 gene helps the disease grow by knocking out a tumour suppressor gene called PTEN.

"These findings are exciting because ever since the link was established between BRCA1 and breast cancer more than ten years ago, we have been frustrated by our lack of understanding about how mutations in this gene cause breast cancer," remarked study co-author Dr Ramon Parsons.

"Now that we know that PTEN is involved, we finally have a target for therapy for these cancers," he added.

Results from his team’s study highlighted PTEN as a "major player" in both hereditary and non-hereditary basal-like breast cancer, a particularly aggressive form of the disease.

Basal-like breast cancer tumours, which grow fast and spread quickly, are resistant to standard breast cancer treatments and are more likely to be fatal than other forms of the disease.

Prominent charity Breast Cancer Care has emphasised that women of all ages need to become more "breast aware" by looking out for changes and attending breast screenings as they get older.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with breast cancer

Individuals’ prospects of affordable critical illness cover or cancer insurance may only be improved if they have access to the most up-to-date treatments.

According to the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), cancer survival rates in the UK would be boosted if "innovative medicines" were included in such access.

Welcoming the new Cancer Plan unveiled this week, the ABPI stressed that access to new medicines is still relatively slow, with those licensed for use frequently refused to patients in some areas.

"In order to address the continuing and harrowing inequalities in UK cancer treatment, radical action is needed," stated Dr Richard Barker, director general of the ABPI.

"The pharmaceutical industry has many hundreds of cancer medicines in development," he continued.

"If we are serious about improving cancer survival rates, we must find effective ways of overcoming the delays and the postcode lottery that still bedevil treatment in this country."

US care consultants assured this week that individuals who have survived cancer are not automatically exempt from cheap life insurance or critical illness cover.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with cancer

Diabetes insurance difficulties could be overcome if more people had access to insulin pumps, it has been suggested.

Charity Diabetes UK pointed out that such pumps are more effective than traditional injections, but current access to them in the UK is "patchy".

Just over two per cent of British people with type-one diabetes use pumps compared to 15 to 20 per cent in the US and Germany.

According to estimates by Diabetes UK, 50,000 people in the UK are eligible for insulin pumps.

Simon O’Neill, the charity’s director of care, information and advocacy, outlined research published in the journal Diabetic Medicine which found that insulin pumps are more effective than traditional insulin injections at improving blood glucose control and reducing hypoglycaemic episodes.

"Although pumps are not recommended for all people who manage their diabetes with insulin, it would be beneficial for many including those with type-two diabetes," remarked Mr O’Neill.

He added that despite the pumps costing £1,400 - compared to £500 insulin injections - greater use of them would save the NHS money in the long term, as complications related to diabetes would fall.

Uncontrolled glucose levels in people with diabetes can lead to complications including blindness, heart disease, kidney failure and amputations.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with diabetes

Pregnant women with epilepsy could benefit from a popular drug designed to reduce seizures while minimising birth defects.

Researchers at Emory University in the US found that lamotrigine can improve the overall health of expectant mothers and their unborn babies.

For the purposes of the study, 53 women taking lamotrigine underwent therapeutic drug monitoring throughout their pregnancies.

Although previous work had suggested that the treatment caused seizures to worsen, this latest experiment revealed that strict monitoring of the drug can actually lead to a reduction.

"Our findings provide a foundation for treatment guidelines to prevent increased seizure frequency and ultimately improve the health of the mother and foetus," confirmed Dr Page Pennell, director of the Emory Epilepsy Programme.

"This is important data considering current treatment guidelines do not address how to dose epilepsy drugs once women become pregnant; it’s really a benefit for both mothers and babies," she added.

Published in the online edition of Neurology, the latest findings mark the success of doctors specially trained to manage disorders of the brain and nervous system such as stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis, as well as epilepsy.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with epilepsy

A new drug may provide the solution for individuals with depression insurance difficulties caused by the re-emergence of symptoms following treatment.

Prozac manufacturer Eli Lilly has received approval from the US Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) for Cymbalta to treat major depressive disorder in adults.

"Relapse, the re-emergence of depressive symptoms after a successful treatment of depression, is a significant clinical concern," observed Dr Doug Williamson, Cymbalta associate medical director for Eli Lilly.

"This approval from the FDA is important because data from our Cymbalta clinical trial demonstrate that continuing to treat the patient delays the time to possible relapse," he continued.

During the Cymbalta trial, more than 500 patients with major depression who were given a fixed dose of the drug every day took longer to relapse than patients given a placebo.

According to psychiatric professionals, the maintenance of antidepressant treatment helps decrease the chance of an individual relapsing, while treating the broad range of depression symptoms may minimise the presence of residual symptoms such as anxiety and low self-esteem.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people with depression