A terminally ill nurse will make the case for fair access to a drug which could give her more time with her family at a key meeting with health chiefs.
Tracy Pratt has incurable secondary breast cancer but could be given two more precious years with husband Gary and two children, Harry, 25, and Maisie 22, if she had access to Enhertu medication.
This drug is available to cancer patients in Scotland but is not available to patients in England due to cost. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which provides guidance for new technologies and drugs to the NHS, has not recommend the use of Enhertu after discussions between NHS England and the pharmaceutical companies failed to agree a ‘cost effective’ price.
This means that it is unavailable to patients in England and Wales.
But Tracy – who has given 30 years service to the NHS – has been invited to a meeting at Parliament with the drug company and NICE representatives as part of a delegation from Breast Cancer Now.
They are hoping to present a petition calling on NICE, NHS England and the drug companies to change course and make this drug available to patients in England. Currently, it has more than 225,000 signatures towards a target of 250,000.
Tracy, who lives in Tydd St Mary and works at Peterborough City Hospital, said: “My hope is that they can come to an agreement where the could make the drug financially viable for NICE to agree to it. NICE has no qualms over the evidence, their qualm is with the cost. If we can bring the cost down, NICE will approve it.
“With the figures regarding breast cancer and secondary breast cancer, this decision is likely to affect someone that you know in the future. So that is what I have to do – think about – it’s the people that it will affect in the future.
“I am really pleased to be invited to the meeting and I am pleased to feel that we are being represented.”
Tracy was diagnosed with primary breast cancer in October 2018, after discovering a lump in her right breast. She went onto have a lumpectomy – and a clearance of the cancer cells within the lymph nodes in her right side – along with chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Keen runner Tracy went onto have her ovaries removed in August 2019 as her cancer was found to be fed by hormones. She is HER2 low, which is an enzyme that helps to active breast cancer cells.
But four years later, when a niggly back pain did not ease after a few weeks rest from running, she went back to her oncology team at the hospital.
After a few weeks of scans, Tracy received the devastating diagnosis that her cancer had spread.
Sadly it is not possible to remove the tumours and the cancer is incurable. She is still undergoing treatment which aims to keep her condition stable and slow down the progression.
This is where Enhertu would play an important part as it has been found to help slow down the progression of cancer for more than two years forHER2 patients.
And this is what Tracy and the Breast Cancer Now delegation is hoping to stress to MPs on the committee along with the drug companies and health representatives.
Got a story? Email jeremy.ransome@fenlandcitizen.co.uk
