The proposal from NICE, the Government's advisory body on health treatments, is to stop prescribing the new beta interferon drug for people with MS.

This is heartbreaking news for our family. My wife was diagnosed with MS 11 years ago and has recently been recommended, by a consultant neurologist, to receive beta interferon.

The NICE Report does not argue with the evidence these drugs work by reducing the number of attacks people with MS suffer; it simply states this is not enough to justify the cost.

While the drug is expensive, there is currently no alternative treatment for this terrible illness.

This ruling removes our only hope that my wife's quality of life will be improved through medicines that should be available through the Health Service.

Those who feel this ruling is an injustice should write to Alan Milburn, Secretary of State for Health, Richmond House, Whitehall, London SWIA.

-Peter Hermann, Old Shoreham Road, Hove