Tameside man first in UK to get life-saving drug for rare blood disorder

Granada Reports Correspondant Tim Scott has been speaking to David Cope about the new lifesaving drug

A grandfather from Tameside who was treated at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LUHFT) has become the first person in the UK to be given a new lifesaving drug as part of a clinical trial.

After falling critically ill, David Cope, 67, from Tameside in Manchester, was transported by blue-light ambulance to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital. After being diagnosed with Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), David went into multiple organ failure and was even placed on life-support to help his organs recover.

TTP is a very rare condition that only affects 6 in one million people. It causes blood to clot in small blood vessels throughout the body, stopping blood flow to major organs.

David agreed to be put on a drug-trial which offers a new way to treat TTP.

LUHFT is the largest TTP Specialist Centre in the country, running an international clinical research trial, which offers an alternative treatment for TTP, a life-threatening illness. Current treatment options for TTP can be a very invasive with a long recovery time, and this trial aims to reduce the severity of this treatment and continue to improve the patient's condition.

Due to the research happening at LUHFT, David is now back home with his family. TTP is a life-long condition however, through research and new treatments, clinicians hope to find ways to reduce the severity of treatment and the number of flare-ups a patient will have in their lifetime.