Nadia Sawalha, the 59-year-old Loose Women presenter, has joined a group of 31 women with painted chests to raise awareness and demand that the breast cancer drug Enhertu be made available on the NHS in England and Wales. The women, all of whom have been touched by breast cancer, gathered outside Westminster in an effort to be heard by the new Labour Government and to pressure the NHS to approve the drug. Enhertu is a treatment for several types of cancer and is already available on the NHS for certain patients with HER2-positive secondary breast cancer, but it is not currently available for women with a subtype of incurable breast cancer called HER2-low.
The women, who have been ignored by the NHS and other healthcare organizations, are calling on the government to take action and make Enhertu available to those who need it. They argue that the drug could benefit up to 1,000 women a year who are struggling with incurable breast cancer, but are being denied access to the treatment. The group is also demanding that the key players, including NHS England, Daiichi Sankyo, and AstraZeneca, return to the negotiating table to work out a deal to make the drug available.
The campaign has been ongoing for several months, with the All-Party Parliamentary Group On Breast Cancer (APPGBC) holding a roundtable event in May to focus on Enhertu. However, the campaigners say they have been ignored since then and are now resorting to more drastic measures, such as painting their chests with messages and appearing outside Westminster.
Nadia Sawalha (Via Nadia Sawalha/Twitter)
Hannah Gardner, one of the women affected by the disease, spoke out about her experience, saying that she has been ignored and feels like she is being denied access to a treatment that could help her. She pointed out that it has been over two months since patients met with the NHS and other key players, and nothing has changed. The treatment remains out of reach for the thousands of women who could benefit from it.
The struggle to make Enhertu available is not just a British issue, but a global one. Breast Cancer Now, a charity that supports breast cancer patients and research, has recommended that the drug be used within the Cancer Drugs Fund for certain patients with HER2-positive secondary breast cancer. The charity also notes that Enhertu is the first treatment licensed for HER2-low secondary breast cancer.
The campaign to make Enhertu available on the NHS is a crucial one, as it has the potential to bring hope and treatment to thousands of women who are struggling with incurable breast cancer. The women who have painted their chests and are demanding change are not just fighting for themselves, but for all those who could benefit from the drug. They are determined to be heard and to make a difference in the fight against breast cancer.
