PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
NHS PRESCRIPTION OF HERCEPTIN FOR BREAST CANCER (11 October 2005)

That this House welcomes the excellent results of the trials of the drug Herceptin for women with early stage breast cancer; notes that around 41,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year and that Herceptin may save 1,000 lives each year; welcomes, therefore, the Secretary of State for Health's decision to introduce testing for suitability to Herceptin for all women diagnosed with breast cancer and the fast-track referral of Herceptin for early stage breast cancer to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE); urges NICE to expedite its review and to issue guidelines making Herceptin widely available on the NHS; further notes that additional funds will be needed for primary care trusts which wish to prescribe Herceptin on a case-by-case basis for women already tested and known to be H-ER 2 positive; further notes, however, that the annual treatment cost of over £20,000 has been a major barrier to prescription of Herceptin; and urges the manufacturer Roche, therefore, to take steps to reduce the cost of this life-saving drug.

Sponsored by:
Paul Farrelly (Labour)