Antiarthritis drug ‘not cost-effective’

Thousands of people with an aggressive form of arthritis have been denied a new drug. The Government’s value-for-money watchdog ruled that abatacept (Orencia) is not cost-effective for treating moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis.

About 400,000 people in Britain have rheumatoid arthritis, of whom 10 per cent suffer a severe form. NICE has given clearance to three drugs that act against TNF, a naturally occuring substance involved in inflammation, but about 30 per cent of patients do not get any benefit. Abatacept’s manufacturer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, submitted evidence showing that 3,585 patients in Britain should be eligible for treatment with the drug.

Family can sue police

The family of a man who was shot dead by police in a raid on his home has won a legal battle at the House of Lords to bring a civil action for misconduct. James Ashley, 39, who was unarmed, died during a raid on his flat in Hastings, East Sussex, in 1998. PC Chris Sherwood was acquitted of murder.

Rise in child violence

Serious violence in England and Wales fell last year but harm to small children doubled, hospital A&E departments say. A Cardiff University Violence and Society Research Group report said that the number of children aged up to ten injured in violent attacks rose from 3,805 in 2006 to 8,067 last year.

Boris Johnson inquiry

The Conservative candidate to be Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, faces an inquiry by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards after failing to declare a 33 per cent stake in Finland Station, a television production company. Mr Johnson was also paid £30,000 by the company to write and present a programme.

Times writer praised

The Times environment reporter Lewis Smith, has been nominated for science writing’s most prestigious. Judges of the Royal Society Prize for Science Books said Smith’s book Why the Lion Grew its Mane was “beautifully presented and easy to read . . . It sucks the reader into the world of science.”

‘Inept teachers jump before being pushed’

Thousands of incompetent teachers appear to be resigning their jobs to avoid disciplinary action (Alexandra Frean writes).

The Policy Exchange found that the General Teaching Council for England, set up in 2001, had judged only 46 to be incompetent - although its chief executive said this year that about 17,000 were likely to be substandard. Sam Freedman, of the think-tank, said: “It is implausible that there have been just 46 incompetent teachers operating since 2001. Anecdotal evidence suggests that there are more, but that they resign before the end of a capability review or when threatened with one.”

Paedophile hoax

A girl aged 10 admitted posing as a paedophile on the internet to try to scare nine classmates in revenge for an argument, police said. She used a messaging service to try to befriend the children and arrange to meet them. The girl, from Padstow, Cornwall, told her parents that she was responsible and they contacted the police, who said it was too early to say whether any action would be taken.

Payback deadline

A company director who was jailed after stealing millions of pounds to fund a luxury lifestyle was ordered by a judge to pay back what is left of the money or face another 3½ years in jail. Sharon Bridgewater, 36, who received a five-year sentence last year for stealing more than £2.5 million from her employers to fund a “footballer’s wife lifestyle”, was told that she had six months to return £324,000.

Writing off weight

Recalling what you ate for lunch may be all that slimmers need to do to make diets succeed, a study by the University of Birmingham has found. Researchers told New Scientist magazine that the study meant it was possible to think yourself slim. Dieters who wrote down what they had for lunch lost their appetites when offered a plate of biscuits, while a group who did not ate all of them.

Ex-detectivecharged

A former Scotland Yard detective was charged with perverting the course of justice in relation to the murder of a man whose death he investigated 21 years ago. Sid Fillery, 61, was one of five men arrested this week in connection with the killing of Daniel Morgan, 37, who was killed with an axe in 1987. Jonathon Rees, 53, James Cook, 53, and Garry Vian, 47, have been charged with murder.

Nintendo sell-out

Retailers have sold out of Nintendo’s new Wii Fit game before its release on Friday. Websites such as play.com and hmv.com said that they had allocated all their stock to preorders. A million copies were sold in five weeks when the game launched in Japan. Wii Fit comes with a pressure-sensitive board, which players use to perform physical exercises that are demonstrated on screen.

Divers lose bomb

An operation to blow up a Second World War bomb suffered a setback after Royal Navy divers lost it on the seabed. More than 1,200 people had to leave their homes after the 1,100lb (500kg) bomb was washed up at Felixstowe, Suffolk. They were allowed back after the device was taken two miles out to sea. It was left on the seabed but divers could not find it after currents moved it overnignt.

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