dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2907026/NHS-AXE-25-cancer-treatments-efforts-cut-Cancer-Drugs-Fund-80-million.html
If you are already receiving these drugs you will be able to continue them.
This is sad news!
So scary and totally unfair!!! 
maybe i should become a druggie or alcoholic then the goverment would have some sympathy for me and give me just about anything i want…gggrrr!!!
Love one very angry cancer sufferer J x x x
Feeling upset too and very angry!! I worked for 6 years in a hospital that did gastric banding, gender reassignment, treated many patients not entitled to NHS care- bringing in interpreters at vast expense etc etc. Now we are told that we’re not worth it!! Ggggrrrrr! If David Cameron thinks that this announcement will damage his chances at the next election then surely some more money will be found??
Hi ladies, just got home from work and am still seething and sooo upset re: drug funding
As some of you have said if it was their mum, daughter,wife etc would they still want to cut to it??? I have spent most of the morning with this banging round my head and thinking omg i will have to re-mortgage my house to fund my treatment in the future!! when really i should using my time and energy trying to keep sane and “healthy” whilst fighting this disease…ggrrr
hugs J x x
There was a person on the radio the other day my husband was listening to (not sure if he was a MP or NHS) who stated people in our position should be given morphine and a bottle of whisky and thats it. My view is the NHS should stop treating all the people who come from abroad just to use the NHS.All the people who move to this country and use the NHS having never contributed a penny should be made to pay. There might then be money to pay for drugs for the likes of us who have paid all our lives. Another rant over.
Bill-ben, i totally agree with you, our government need to start “looking after their own” and stop letting any old Tom, **bleep** or Harry coming to our country to abuse the system…that goes for NHS and DWP!! Soft told Britain thats us!!! gggrrrr
J x x x
While I agree with everyone else about the recent news - it is deeply shocking - we must beware of the ‘we are the most deserving’ argument. The crux of the issue is that the NHS is not properly funded, and as someone has said the people who make these decisions are often in private medical schemes.
As for ‘migrants’ please remember that those legally here will pay tax and national insurance - those here illegally get nowt because they don’t actually legally exist.
The focus of our concern should be to tell politicians of ALL persuasions that the NHS must be funded and organised properly, and hold them to account when they renege on promises. After all if all these international companies that trade here paid full taxes here the deficit would be wiped out with plenty of money to spare…
There are questions to be answered about drug company profits as well, they are purely commercial organisations who need to fund their work without terrible greed for profits.
And of course we must beware of ignorant nutters who haven’t the guts to tell us personally what they think, and of course it would be very different if someone they know was affected… have you met anyone who says they decline lung cancer treatment because they have been/ are a smoker???
Let us all write to our MPs, the PM, local and national newspapers, making one he’ll of a stink.
Grumpy
No, I don’t think this forum does do the ‘most-deserving’ argument. This argument is used in the media, and we mustn’t get drawn in - once we engage with the priority of treatment argument, we are missing the point that the NHS is not properly funded. After all, this is why the CDF was set up in the first place, and the politicians have not yet looked at the neccesity for that fund and how to take forward realistic cancer funding. That’s where we come in, with all our campaigning activities. And yes I do know that many of us participate in such activities. For example I work with our local MP to improve access to cancer treatment in the rural area where I live.
Not for one minute do I agree with restrictions to this fund, quite the reverse - in my view CDF expenditure should become the norm for ALL cancer patients.
Please don’t think I was arguing for resticted use of drugs for ANY cancer patient - I am pleading for exactly the opposite.
And yes I have used the forum a lot during the last 5 years, and yes I do look at the secondaries thread because a close friend has secondaries in bones - I don’t offer anything to that thread except my love and heartfelt sympathy because I feel it would be presumptuous to do otherwise.
Hope this puts the record straight, and assures all readers that I had no intention of upsetting anyone.
Grumpy
Hi Everyone - our policy team has asked us to post the below
We know that the removal of drugs from the Cancer Drugs Fund will be distressing news for many so we wanted to provide you with a bit more information and as much reassurance as we’re able.
The drugs that have been removed from the CDF list are:
- Eribulin (Halaven)
- Everolimus (Afinitor)
- Lapatinib (Tyverb)
However, it’s important that people know that anybody currently accessing the drugs will continue to be able to access them and will not be taken off them. The changes will come into effect on 12 March 2015 and up until that date patients are able to access these drugs via the CDF.
Three drugs will remain on the list. These are:
- Trastuzumab Emtansine (Kadcyla)
- Pertuzumab (Perjeta)
- Bevacizumab (Avastin)
However, despite the good news that there are drugs on the CDF that people with secondary breast cancer can access, the priority must now be to urgently find a sustainable solution that works.
The CDF was meant as an interim measure: to address the issue of access to cancer drugs while a fairer system for pricing drugs was established. But to date, this has not happened.
If you haven’t already seen it, our blog post explains the main facts about yesterday’s announcement. We also have a press statement which has been used in a lot of the press over the last few days. The comment is available here.
We will continue to call for a more sustainable system, so that people are not denied access to vital treatment. Hearing from people who will be directly affected by these changes really helps us to do this, so please do email us at campaigns@breastcancercare.org.uk with any thoughts on how these changes may affect you.
Please do get in touch with us if you need more information and support. As well as using these forums, you can also call us on 0808 800 6000.
Best wishes
Emma, The Policy and Campaigns team
Thank you for the info Ann
J x x
I just feel that as many different treatments as possible that have been successful in trials should be available to us. After all, only a few work for each patient and luckily we are well monitored so can switch if one drug is not working. When the drug pool gets reduced, I can only think that this will affect our options and length of life. I’m still upset about the whole business, it’s shameful. Grrrrr!!
Well said Helen! I am trying to be positive and think that the CDF will bow to pressure, c’mon girls, get your name on as many petitions as possible, write to your MPs, just do something!! This isn’t the end of the story, I’m sure xx
Where is this petition???
I will sign, and get lots of other people to sign up.
grumpy
Signed!
Just a comment… with some petitions there is an optional “comments” box in which it’s possible to put “I have secondary breast cancer” or “I’ve had one of the blacklisted drugs and it gave me an extra 6 months survival time with acceptable side effects” (or whatever) but I couldn’t find a comments box on the petition page.
Oh well, the main thing is to get lots of signatures!!
Does anyone know what the situation is in Scotland with breast cancer drugs?
Moderators, please could you make this a “sticky”? maybe instead of the Christmas “party” thread?
Woohoo, that was quick!! 
Many thanks BCC team (I’ve not checked the links yet).
Sadly no CDF for us in Wales and I’ve heard that in cases where patients oncologists have applied for funding via the Individual Patient Funding system, most of these are turned down too…so even less options for us poor mortals ?
Seriously something has to change soon! xxx
Thanks very much belinda! Yes i can definitely get around a fair bit easier now.
The Labour govt in Wales have stated categorically that there will be no CDF in Wales. There was a petition signed by 98,000 people recently which was taken to the Assembly building in Cardiff by a large group of cancer patients to present it to the Welsh Health minister…and he didnt even come out to receive it…he sent a spokesman.
I wrote to the Minister myself to put forward my case and stress the importance of us having access to the same drugs that are available in England and even had a personalised reply. But frankly…it was a load of drivel! Waste of time.
But thanks for being so supportive. …its bizarre to think we all have the same disease but the govt treat us so differently.
Maybe one day…
Love bev xxxxx