The Stirrer Cancer Campaign

CANCER DRUG DELIGHT AS ELEANOR WINS POSTCODE LOTTERY

19-11-2007

Lung cancer victim Eleanor Brown whose case has been championed by The Stirrer has been told she will receive the controversial drug Tarceva - which is readily available in Scotland but rationed in England.

Eleanor, from Bournville, has just had confirmation from her consultant after a meeting of South Birmingham Primary Care Trust's Review Committee last week.

She's been told that the drug is most effective in prolonging the life of non-smoking females, and as she fits both criteria, the PCT is willing to prescribe it.

She said, "I'm absolutely over the moon. It's given me a bit more hope. I was getting quite down last week, but now I'm grabbing every moment that I can.

"I couldn't believe it at first when I received the letter and I wouldn t tell anyone until my doctor confirmed it. I don't know if I'm the first person to receive it, but I was told there wasn't much chance so I'm delighted."

In Scotland, which has different health regime, Eleanor wouldn't have had to rely on the whim of the local Trust. Doctors there are free to prescribe Tarceva whenever they think it's appropriate.

South of the border, the National Institute For Clinical Excellence has taken a more cautious approach and refuses to authorise the treatment for general use in the NHS.

Another victim of the NHS postcode lottery, Lorraine Knight from Wednesbury, is still waiting to hear whether she'll be given the breakthrough drug Sutent, for her liver and kidney cancer.

After being diagnosed in July, she's had a four month wait to find out if she's eligible, and has now been told she'll be given the verdict on Thursday.

Family members fear that by then she'll be too weak to even travel to the QE in Birmingham to receive the news.

(For more details about Eleanor's case click here and for Lorraine's full story click here