A man infected with HIV after being given contaminated blood in the ‘biggest scandal in NHS history’ has criticised a delay in rolling out a new lifesaving drug.

Mark Ward, 45, from Peacehaven, was one of thousands of people across the UK infected with either HIV or Hepatitis C after being given contaminated blood products during the 1970s and 1980s.

The products were intended to help treat haemophiliacs like Mr Ward, but came from high-risk donors like prostitutes and prisoners.

A new breakthrough drug called sofosbuvir, which was approved by drugs regulator NICE in January, looked to give hepatitis C patients a new lease of life – though they were told to wait until April to get the ten-week course of tablets, which costs £45,000.

However NHS England has now delayed further the roll-out of sofosbuvir until August to ensure all patients have equal access to treatment.

Mr Ward fears the move will lead to deaths among the 5,000 people still alive who contracted the disease in the scandal.

He said: “I am in the lucky position right now of not needing this new drug. But I personally feel that any delay to an approved medicine for our community is cruel.

“I know there cost implications but the NHS infected us. It is their duty to do all they can to try and ensure we are cared for with every means possible.”

Sue Threakall, co-chair of campaign group Tainted Blood, said the NHS England delay was because of cost implications.

She added: “‘I find it completely incomprehensible that there should be any delays in giving these drugs to patients immediately.

“We are still hearing stories from our members that they are being told they will not be offered early access to these drugs until they have developed Decompensated Cirrhosis, or are expected to develop this within a year. Cirrhosis is effectively irreversible liver damage.”

NHS England told The Argus it had asked NICE to consider extending the drug’s rollout to August to allow “equitable access to care”.

A spokesman said: “Until NICE’s final guidance on sofosbuvir comes into effect, NHS England has in place an interim commissioning policy on sofosbuvir with ledipasvir or daclatasvir since June 2014, and formed an interim policy for simeprevir which makes these treatments available to patients meeting specified clinical criteria.

"So far, NHS England has made an additional £38 million available in 2014/15 to cure patients at risk of liver failure.”

Tainted Blood's statement in full:

Sue Threakall, co-chair of campaign group Tainted Blood, said: "It is encouraging that new drugs to treat Hepatitis C appear to be much more successful than established drug regimes, and that patients have to take them for a much shorter time, with better results.  

"The older drugs had to be taken for extended periods of time and had dreadful side-effects.  Many were not able to complete the course, whereas drugs such as Sofosbuvir appear to be much better tolerated.

"I therefore find it completely incomprehensible that there should be any delays in giving these drugs to patients immediately.  We are still hearing stories from our members that they are being told they will not be offered early access to these drugs until they have developed Decompensated Cirrhosis, or are expected to develop this within a year. 

"Cirrhosis is effectively irreversible liver damage. Even now, despite its approval by N.I.C.E. and following a request by NHS England, its use has not been approved until August this year, because of cost implications.

"It makes much more financial sense to treat people early before they are at the stage of needing a liver transplant and extensive hospital care.  Despite being clinically beneficial, the drugs have not been approved by N.I.C.E. for use in patients prior to developing cirrhosis.  We believe this is simply because of cost implications even though it would obviously be far more beneficial to treat early.

"In the case of those given their infection via their treatment with NHS blood and blood products I believe there is also a huge moral case for putting cost aside and treating without further delay.  

"For those haemophiliacs who, like Mark Ward, were also infected with HIV, there is a further issue to take into account:  Although HIV is now seen to be a manageable disease, haemophiliacs have already been infected for over thirty years and the damage to their immune system is huge.

"To keep the HIV virus at bay they have to take a life-long combination of toxic drugs which has to be very finely tuned due to HIV’s powers of mutation.  Despite the advances of more effective HIV medication, recent studies have confirmed that the accelerated progression of disease in the co-infected has still not been eliminated entirely.  

"In order to begin taking treatment for Hepatitis C their HIV drugs have to be reviewed, and in many cases changed.  If they get to the stage of a liver transplant the drugs sometimes have to be stopped completely, allowing HIV to once again take hold in the body.  

"It makes absolute economic and moral sense for these patients in particular to be offered the new treatments for Hepatitis C as a matter of urgency, and we call on the Department of Health to resolve this shameful situation immediately."