Deborah O'Neill (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is my pleasure to stand in this place and speak this evening briefly on the report that was tabled in the House when we last sat entitled Living with the pain of adhesive arachnoiditis. I want to take this opportunity this evening to put on the record a little information about this disease that is experienced by a number of Australians and is one about which many Australians would know very little.

It is a painful condition. It has actually got nothing to do with spiders, despite the fact that the word 'arachnoiditis' can conjure up that image. It is caused by long-term scarring of the arachnoid membranes. These are the membranes that surround and protect the nerves of the spinal cord and spinal nerves. This tissue can be scarred by medical intervention or infection and the spinal nerves stick together. The pattern they generate is a little like a spider web, hence the name 'arachnoiditis'.

The committee was very privileged to hear from sufferers of adhesive arachnoiditis. They explained to us some of the symptoms that they experience, including pain which often and most significantly affects their lower back and legs. It can lead to paralysis and certainly affects mobility. Further complications can include bladder and bowel dysfunction and impaired sexual function.

Many of the people who spoke to us said they experience this because of a treatment regime they had at an early stage of experiencing back pain. The drug Myodil was injected into their spinal fluid and they were then able to provide a contrast for radiography to be able to determine the status of their back. Myodil was eventually withdrawn from use. Better technology came along. The people who explained their experiences in testimony were very confident that it was that Myodil experience that had caused their adhesive arachnoiditis. The difficulty with this illness is that there is no clear causal link.

One of the recommendations that we made out of our roundtable inquiry and the report that we are discussing here this evening was that we raise more awareness about this issue. We made recommendations to the RACGP and Medicare Locals to try and increase the awareness of GPs about this issue. Michael Sage, a radiologist and emeritus professor from Flinders University, described it in this way:

Even if there are only a handful of people out there in each city suffering from it, they really are suffering. It is important that people are made aware even if it is too late—

to undo the difficulties and challenges that they face.

After this report was tabled in the chamber, a statement was released by GlaxoSmithKline, and I think it is important to read that response into the record. It states:

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has reviewed the final report of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing into adhesive arachnoiditis …

The report makes a number of direct references to GSK, so it is important that GSK communicates its position on the report and related issues. Some of the points below reiterate information that GSK has previously provided in its public statements …

GSK indicated respect for the work of the committee and concern for the people affected by arachnoiditis. The committee thought they might be able to show considerable civic leadership and social responsibility by establishing a charitable foundation to find ways to assist those suffering adhesive arachnoiditis, but that is a recommendation that they were not happy to take up. I will leave my remarks there. Hopefully, we have raised some awareness.

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