A DRUG cocktail which can almost double the life expectancy of some people suffering from a devastating lung disease could be available on prescription within the next 12 months.

The Northern Echo reported last year how the combination drug used to treat mesothelioma had been a success in clinical trials carried out by researchers at Newcastle University.

Mesothelioma, which is usually inoperable, attacks the membranes lining the inside of the chest and the outside of the lungs and is caused largely by exposure to asbestos.

Victims are normally expected to live between six and 18 months once the disease is diagnosed, but trials of the cocktail found that in a handful of cases patients survived for three years or more.

It is anticipated that it will be licensed within the next year or so, enabling it to be prescribed by doctors after being made available at selected cancer centres around the country on a "compassionate use" basis.

US drug company Eli Lilley has been paying for trials to take place.

The combination drug consists of newly developed permetrexed, created by Eli Lilley and known by the trade name Alimta, and the existing drug carboplatin.

Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at charity Cancer Research UK, said: "Mesothelioma is a serious condition that is difficult to treat and this is an important development."

On average, about 300 new cases are reported in the Northern and Yorkshire region every year, according to Leeds based Northern Cancer Registry.

The disease, which commonly develops in men between 50 and 70 years of age, is linked to a number of industries such as shipbuilding and chemical production where exposure to asbestos was often commonplace.

Researchers have stressed that the drug, which causes lung tumours to temporarily shrink and allows sufferers to breathe more easily, is not a cure but a step in the right direction.

Anyone receiving treatment for mesothelioma who would like more information on the clinical trials, can contact the Cancer Research UK cancer information nurses confidentially on free-phone (0800) 226237 between Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, or e-mail cancer.info.org.uk.