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Cancer sufferer told she CAN have wonderdrug

Lisa Woodhouse
23/11/2005

A REDDISH breast cancer sufferer is delighted after finding out she is to be prescribed the wonderdrug Herceptin on the NHS.

Kay Mather, 49, of Harrogate Road, received the life-altering news on Tuesday morning and both her and her husband Keith are delighted. The couple have been waiting since October for the decision.

Kay's plight was highlighted in the Stockport Express last month after she appealed to the Stockport Primary Care Trust (PCT) to let her use the drug, which is believed to halve the chances of a woman suffering a relapse of the disease.

She said: "It's a big weight off my mind. I can relax a bit now. I might even have a box of chocolates to celebrate!"

Since the article was published there have been numerous cases of women across the UK being prescribed Herceptin, which is yet to be licensed in this country.

However, clinical trials are not expected to be competed in the uk until next summer and the decision on whether to fund the drug - which has an annual cost of £20,000 per patient - has fallen to regional PCTs.

A spokesperson for Stockport PCT said the 14 PCTs which serve Greater Manchester have reached a decision on the provision of funding to support the wider prescribing of Herceptin to patients with breast cancer.

It is anticipated that as a result of this decision, around 300 patients per year in Manchester will be treated, at a cost of around £7.9million per year.

Throughout the ordeal, Kay has received support from local MP Andrew Gwynne. He said: 'I am delighted that Mrs Mather will now receive the drug. I believe that all women whose doctors recommend this form of treatment should have it made available to them."

Kay added: "At the end of the day it's your life and it's a 50 per cent chance of living. I just have to hope."