IT is devastating to hear that Kadcyla – a crucial life-extending treatment for women with incurable secondary breast cancer – faces being withdrawn from the NHS following the failure of NICE and the drug’s manufacturer Roche to reach an agreement.
Kadcyla can offer patients precious extra months – even years – of good quality time with their loved ones, with fewer side effects than through other treatments.
It is available in many other countries including France, Germany and Australia and unless NICE’s draft decision is overturned next month, this fantastic medical advance will bypass patients in England forever.
That’s why I’ve backed Breast Cancer Now’s campaign to #KeepKadcyla, which calls on NICE and Roche to urgently reach a deal to ensure patients in England are not denied this very effective treatment.
There is very little time left for this decision to be reversed and I urge NICE and Roche to do everything in their power to keep this drug available.
PAMELA STOKES Old Hall
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