Cancer Drug Fund Petition

[Clutter]

A CLL Admin has asked whether members will be kind enough to sign and share the petition below:

I am reaching out to ask if you would consider circulating this petition campaign lead by a leading UK clinical specialist to your members or through your media channels.. It does focus on blood cancers that have been affected very heavily by recent CDF announcements, but applies to all of you. you.38degrees.org.uk/petiti... we have over 23,000 signatures so far, 100,000 will get this where we need it.

Petition details:

TO: JEREMY HUNT, SECRETARY OF STATE FOR HEALTH

We urge Jeremy Hunt to review the National Cancer Drug Fund’s decision to withdraw life-saving drugs for patients suffering from blood cancer.

We also urge pharmaceutical companies to review their pricing policies for the NHS.

Doctors should be able to choose the right treatment at the right time for their patients. For many types of cancer, the current NICE approved drugs that are available are totally inadequate.

Why is this important?

On Friday 4th of September 2015 the National Cancer Drug Fund announced it was withdrawing life-saving drugs for patients suffering from blood cancer by the 1st of November.

Patients with myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, Hodgkin's Lymphoma and chronic myeloid leukaemia are particularly affected.

Many of these drugs don't just prolong life by a few months. They actually have a very significant impact on overall life expectancy and also on quality of life and are part of routine care in many European countries and the United States.

Without access to these drugs, we cannot deliver on personalised medicine, a concept that is now widely accepted in the NHS.

We also believe that the decision making process about cancer drugs that are available needs to change so that it includes specialists for each disease area to weigh up the clinical benefits and associated costs for these treatments.

For further INFO:

england.nhs.uk/ourwork/...

[shaws Administrator]

Oh, is the slippery slope just beginning? Are we being forced to have Private Health Insurance just in case we will not be treated any longer by the NHS. I think eventually people who are over a certain age might also have medication withdrawn.We are becoming too expensive.

I've signed and I feel sorry for those people who really shouldn't be put through unnecessary worry and fear for their future.

[Clutter in reply to shaws]

Thanks, Shaws. There've always been funding issues but internet means we're much more aware of them. Applies across all medications, which is fine if the cheaper generics work, but not otherwise. I don't think having private health insurance guarantees access to some of the more expensive cancer treatments.

[shaws Administrator in reply to Clutter]

I agree, yes there will probably be restrictions.

[grauntieannie]

Thanks Clutter. Signed and shared on Facebook.

[millefleur40]

Done and shared on Facebook <3

[Dar68]

Signed x

[Lizzy1606]

Signed

[Zephyrbear]

Signed and shared on Facebook

[greygoose]

Signed and shared on Facebook. But one thing puzzled me... I had to have a British post code to sign, but when the pop-up asked me to make a donation to support this petition, it was in dollars???

[Clutter in reply to greygoose]

GG, thanks. Lol, my change.org in Spanish and you asked to donate in $. There's gremlins messing with those petitions

[greygoose in reply to Clutter]

lol Story of my life!

[7989--]

Clutter, I tried signing the petition for the UK, but it wouldn't take it because of my USA postal code. I'm so sorry! Wish I could be of help.

~~Susan