*Help Needed! Online Petition for complete review of current system of accessing New Cancer Drugs!!!!*

[JuliaBlack]

Hi all

We (a group of breast cancer, kidney cancer...) have set up an online petition at No10 to campaign against the process of accessing new cancer drugs:

petitions.number10.gov.uk/NewCancerDrugs/

You are probably well aware, cancer patients are still being denied potentially life saving drugs.

The NICE process of appraisal is extremely bureaucratic, callous, time consuming, outdated and in desperate need of radical reform. The knock on effect of the ?NHS Postcode Lottery?, causes anguish, anxiety, desperation and utter dismay to the lives of cancer patients and their families.

It does not matter what type of cancer it is, patients are being denied drugs that are widely available and licensed and approved in other countries.

At some point or another every family in Britain will have been affected by cancer, unfortunately, I am sure lots of you reading this posting can relate to this.

It is even more relevant given the new report released today that states spending on cancer medicines in this country is only about 60% of that in other advanced European countries.

The report also highlights that the death rate in the UK is around 6% higher than the European average and picks out ?the relatively poor take-up of new treatments? as one of the most likely reasons for the higher death rate.

In just under a week we already have well over 800 signatures, which just shows the depth of support for this whole issue.

Therefore, we must campaign together across all cancer groups to call for a complete overhaul of the current system. Too frequently we are reading of cancer treatments being denied to patients.

Please click on the following link:

petitions.number10.gov.uk/NewCancerDrugs/

It will take only a minute to fill in the details.

Can you please please sign and then pass on the link to all your contacts/friends/facebook/twitter/MP/groups/forums............... anyone who has an email address who can sign their name.

The petition is not specific to one cancer the current process of appraisal affects all cancers.

We really really need the petition everywhere!

Many thanks

Julia

petitions.number10.gov.uk/NewCancerDrugs/

So what do you think should happen ? That drugs should be provided at any price, no matter how small the chance of them doing a patient any real good ?

NICE does an excellent job of poking through the marketing for drugs, and working out what the benefit really is. Unfortunatly there isn't an indefinate pot of money for health care in this, or any country, so decisions have to be made. NICE is being held up worldwide as a great example of how to make these is a balanced, fair way

Signed!

Hi all

A huge thanks to all who have signed the petition so far.

It is a tremendous response, the show of support indicates just how deeply people feel about this whole topic.

If you have not already done so, please can you sign and pass the link on to all your friends, contacts, groups etc

Cancer treatments widely used in other countries are continually unavailable in the UK , so we must work together to change the system.

petitions.number10.gov.uk/NewCancerDrugs/

Many thanks

Julia

Why are you only lobbying for people with cancer? What about people who have respiratory disease or kidney failure, do they not 'deserve' these drugs as well?

Also what is it you want - NICE to be dissolved? It's actually more equitable now than it was before and at least clinical evidence is taken into account, rather than the pharma rep taking the consultant out for lunch.