Bristol Evening Post (KC) 03-Jul-08
From Kidney Cancer Resource
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KNOWLE CANCER PATIENT WINS DRUG FIGHT
Gary Humphries & his wife
A kidney cancer patient from Bristol denied a vital drug that could help him live for years has won his battle for treatment.
Gary Humphries, from Knowle, was told he could die within months because health officials refused to give him the drug that consultants said was his only option for extending his life.
Yesterday after a last-ditch appeal hearing at Bristol Primary Care Trust the 55-year-old was told he will now be prescribed Sutent.
He said: "I am overwhelmed and my partner Ange is absolutely jubilant. It is like winning the lottery."
Yesterday the Bristol Evening Post revealed that the special needs school teaching assistant had been refused the drug, which could extend his life expectancy by two-and-a-half years and possibly longer.
As it does not have National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) approval it means Primary Care Trusts are not obliged to fund it.
Mr Humphries has been fighting the PCT's decision since it turned him down in May, two months after he was diagnosed with the disease.
"It was terrifying - the panel were making a decision that really is life or death," he said.
"The process you have to go through is incredibly stressful.
"I knew where to go for help, I know how to put an argument together. I feel desperately sorry for people who do not have those skills or the confidence because it is such a frustrating process.
"I think Bristol PCT needs to review its system and make it more humane. It is the bean counters that are making the decisions about people's lives."
The Government has announced a major shake-up of the NHS, which includes plans to cut down the time it takes Nice to approve a drug from three years to three months.
Once drugs are backed by the organisation, all trusts must make them available within three months.
Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy said: "I'm absolutely delighted. I send him my best wishes."
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