Dear
I am writing to ask for your assistance in making sure that the life-extendingpancreatic cancer drug Abraxane remains available on the NHS for patients in Wales.
Last September Wales became the first part of the UK to approve Abraxane for use on the NHS. I was pleasedby the leadership shown byWalesin taking an important step in improving treatment options forpancreatic cancer patients. Since then, many eligible patients across the countryhave benefited from the drug.
On Thursday 17 September, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) decided not to recommend Abraxane for routine use on the NHS in England, leaving hundreds of pancreatic cancer patients in England with no way of accessing Abraxane for free. Worryingly, the decision means the drug may be under threat in Wales too. This is because the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group normally, but not always, follows guidance issued by NICE.
By way of background, 500 people are diagnosed with, and around 450 people die from, pancreatic cancer across Wales each year. In fact, in the UK one person dies from pancreatic cancer every hour. The disease is responsible for over 5% of all cancer deaths in Wales, making it the fifth largest cause of cancer death, although it is expected to become the fourth largest by 2030, overtaking breast cancer. Whilst survival rates for most cancers have been rising, survival rates for pancreatic cancer have remained stubbornly and shockingly low, with less than 4% of patients in Wales surviving for longer than five years following diagnosis. As a result, pancreatic cancer has the worst survival rate of any of the 21 most common cancers.
Abraxane represents the greatest improvement in survival of any licensed treatment for pancreatic cancer in nearly twenty years and researchers internationally are already viewing it as a new standard of care, on top of which novel therapies can be developed and trialled.
This is because, when used in combination with standard chemotherapy, Abraxane has been found to extend patients’ lives for an average of just over two months, although in some cases much longer. Whilst this does not sound like much, when you consider that the average survival time for metastatic pancreatic cancer patients is between just 2-6 months, two more months represents a relatively large amount of time for patients to spend with their loved ones, get their affairs in order or perhaps be there for a significant event like the birth of a grandchild.
I do not want to see pancreatic cancer patients in Wales lose access to a drug because of a decision made in England. As my Member of Parliament, I would be grateful if you could write to Welsh Health Minister, Professor Mark Drakeford,urging him to ensure Abraxane remains available to pancreatic cancer patients in Wales. I would also be grateful if you would send me a copy of any reply you may receive. Anything else you feel able to do that may lead to this decision being reversed would also be appreciated.
If you require any further information about the availability of Abraxane in Wales or pancreatic cancer more generally, Pancreatic Cancer UK would be happy to help and can be contacted via .
Thank you in advance for your assistance and I look forward to hearing from you.