BBC (KC) 23-Sep-08
From Kidney Cancer Resource
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Senedd cancer protest by ex-mayor
A former town mayor who has terminal cancer has protested at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay to call for the drug Sutent to be available to all who need it.
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Christopher Lewis of Chepstow is 54 & has Kidney Cancer
Christopher Lewis, 54, of Chepstow, was diagnosed with kidney cancer in May and has been told he has two years to live.
His local health board refused funding after his consultant at Cardiff's Velindre Hospital applied for the drug.
Monmouthshire Local Health Board said it considered each case on its merits but followed national NHS guidelines.
Mr Lewis, a former mayor of Brecon, took a letter for First Minister Rhodri Morgan.
The letter said people "should not be denied a right to life, simply due to minor amounts of funding."
'Not recommended'
It said : "Every human being in this country should receive clinically approved medication, even if life is only prolonged for a short time."
Mr Lewis claims 12 months of treatment with Sutent would cost around £22,000.
Monmouthshire Local Health Board's Director of Joint Commissioning, Angela Jones, said she was unable to comment on individual cases.
She said the board followed guidance by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (Nice) which did not recommend Sutent as an option for advanced cases.
Last August the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group had also come out against recommending the drug, she said.
Ms Jones said: "We do consider exceptional cases but that has to be through a formal process and panel."
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