Cancer patient foots bill for drugs (From The Northern Echo)

Cancer patient foots bill for drugs

8:13am Tuesday 2nd June 2009 in

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THE husband of a cancer patient who is paying £1,100 a week to keep his wife alive has criticised the NHS for failing to fund the drug which is shrinking her tumours and prolonging her life.

John Brewis, 54, from Seaton Sluice, on the Northumberland coast, said he has had to borrow more than £9,000 to pay for Erbitux, a bowel cancer drug which is widely available in Europe but has been denied to NHS patients until now.

Yesterday’s announcement by the medicines watchdog Nice (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) that patients with advanced bowel cancer can get Erbitux on the NHS does not change Mary Brewis’s situation.

Because her cancer has spread into her lungs, she will still not qualify for NHS treatment.

“I am a teacher, not a Premiership footballer. How can ordinary people afford this?,”

said Mr Brewis.

Mr Brewis said an Exceptional Circumstances Panel established by NHS North of Tyne to consider applications for funding drugs not approved by Nice turned down an application for funding made by his wife’s consultant oncologist last November.

This week the panel again turned down the consultant’s request for funding, despite submitting evidence that the drug had shrunk tumours in Mrs Brewis’ lungs and improved her quality of life.

Mrs Brewis, 53, has been fighting for her life for six years.

When her cancer spread into her lungs last year, her cancer specialist recommended Erbitux as a last resort.

The couple have two children in their 20s and three grandchildren.

In February, The Northern Echo reported that bowel cancer patient Paul Blades, 47, from Harmby, near Leyburn, won his battle with NHS North Yorkshire after new evidence the drug was working.

Last night, a spokesman for NHS North of Tyne said: “Unfortunately, in this case no evidence has been demonstrated to show there have been clinical benefits or exceptional circumstances.

“The panel looking at the application felt this patient’s case was not significantly different from other patients with the disease and therefore to fund the treatment would be unfair to other patients with the same condition.”

Hilary Whittacker, chief executive of Beating Bowel Cancer welcomed the Nice ruling on Erbitux, but added: “The next step must be to approve NHS use of Erbitux... in the late stages of disease, providing patients with precious extra quality time with loved ones. These drugs are available as a matter of course in other European countries.”