This victory is long overdue.. .it means the world to us
Joy after Record backs campaign
BY VIVIENNE AITKEN Health Editor HUNDREDS of women with incurable breast cancer were yesterday thrown a lifeline when miracle drug Perjeta was finally approved for use.
The drug, a targeted therapy for metastasised HER 2 positive breast cancer, had been rejected before the Record teamed up with Breast Cancer Now to fight for access to it.
Perjeta can extend the life of patients by about 16 months.
The drug has to be given alongside the first treatment of the disease, so for many with the condition, it is too late. But it will mean about 980 patients a year will now benefit
Before the campaign launched in May, drug company Roche had no plans to re-submit an application to the Scottish Medicines Consortium.
But thanks to the brave women with the disease who spoke out and cross-party support of MSPs, Roche were persuaded to meet with the Scottish Government to strike a deal. The SMC have now approved the drug for use on the NHS.
Gran Suzanne Hickling, 55, was diagnosed in England where the drug has been available but wanted to move to Scotland to be with her only son and her two grandchildren. That wasn’t possible – until now.
Suzanne said: “I’m thrilled with the SMC’s decision and I’m proud to have been part of a campaign that helped make this happen. For me and my family, routine access to Perjeta in Scotland means the option of spending more time together – this means the world to me.”
Alison Tait, 49, from Edinburgh, was on Perjeta from the beginning of her treatment, thanks to private health insurance through her work, so she has lived to see her daughter, Ellen, go to prom, pass her driving test and leave school
She added: “Today’s decision is a long-overdue victory for women with secondary breast cancer in Scotland.”
Ashleigh Simpson, at Breast Cancer Now, who led the Perjeta Now campaign, said: “Perjeta is a truly life-changing drug and this decision will have a profound and far-reaching impact for so many Scottish women and their families.
“We’d like to thank the Record, its readers and every one of the 12,203 people who have supported the campaign. You have helped to shine a light on this important issue and ensure that hundreds of women with incurable breast cancer can now be given more time to live.”