WOMEN with incurable breast cancer in Scotland are being cruelly denied more time to live, because they can’t get a drug called Perjeta.
Perjeta is a life changing drug that has been the standard of care in England for over four years.
Its benefits are extraordinary, offering women with incurable HER 2-positive secondary breast cancer nearly 16 extra months of life on average compared to other treatments.
Women in England and Wales can get this drug as a matter of course on the NHS; in Scotland, they can’t. This means that some women could be forced to use their life-savings to pay for it or plead for the NHS to make a special case for them. But most women will miss out on this life-extending drug altogether.
The fact that a deal has been reached in England and Wales proves that it is possible for Perjeta to be made available on the NHS.
That’s why I’ve signed Breast Cancer Now’s “Perjeta Now” petition calling for manufacturer Roche, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Medicines Consortium to put patients’ lives first and agree a deal to make Perjeta available at a price the NHS can afford.
We know that negotiations are happening right now and campaigning can put public pressure on those around the table to reach a deal quickly.
Women with secondary breast cancer don’t have time to lose. Please sign the petition at breastcancernow.org/perjeta
BOB CROCKART
Glenrothes.
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