THE husband of an Alzheimer's suffer is appalled by a proposal which could deny drugs to thousands of people with the disease.

Joe Culkin, whose 65-year-old wife, Phyllis, was diagnosed in 2003, believes the news about the medicines, which can give patients an extra year of quality life, shows that the disease is a low priority.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence, claims the drugs are too expensive.

"It's unbelievable," said Mr Culkin, 65, of Nythe, who has been appointed chairman of the newly-formed Swindon branch of the Alzheimer's Society.

"We are talking about a terminal illness but NICE seem to have treated it as something trivial. When my wife of 43 years was diagnosed it was devastating. Coping with it saps all your energy and leaves you unable to deal with things but when you hear something like this it knocks you flat. At £2.50 a day it seems scandalous to argue that it is too expensive."

Unless the proposal, which will not be finalised until later this year, is changed, new sufferers will be unable to get the prescription drugs without paying privately.

"Some people have had the joy of experiencing the benefits of these drugs which can slow down the progress of the disease," said Mr Culkin, who quit work in October 2002 to become his wife's full-time carer.

"They (NICE) are effectively denying people life it is simple as that."

Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, said members would be campaigning for the decision to be reversed.

"Preventing people who may benefit from receiving a drug treatment that works will see us lose a decade of progress and return to a dark ages," he said.

Andrew Dillon, chief executive of NICE, said final guidance on the drugs was expected in July 2005.

"Until final guidance is issued the existing guidance published in 2001 continues to apply," he said.

There is no cure for the degenerative brain disease, which affects about 700,000 people in Britain.

But medicines can delay the progress of symptoms such as memory loss and personality changes.

Drugs, which are prescribed to one in five patients and fall under the review are: Aricept (donepezil hydrochloride), Exelon (rivastigmine), Reminyl (galantamine) and Ebixa (memantine).

Ben Payne