A father of four with a terminal brain tumour is to be given life-prolonging drugs after his local paper stepped in.
Peter Herbert, 41, was given a year to live, but was told by doctors that the experimental drug Temozolamide could double the time he had left.
However, Exeter Primary Care Trust (PCT) refused to finance the £10,000 cost, saying that the National Institute of Clinical Excellence had not recommended the drug for use.
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The Express & Echo in Exeter found out that the drug had been declared a success in international trials and editor Steve Hall lobbied the PCT, which then performed a U-turn by announcing Herbert could have his treatment.
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