Jean Murphy, the cancer drug campaigner, no more
POSTED May 22, 2009 - 17:34 | POSTED BY Cynthia Dunn
Last edited by Harpreet Bhagrath on May 22, 2009 - 18:16
Jean`s family- her husband Mike (56), Daughters Cathy (37) and Trina (43) and son James (24), were all present with her when she passed away in Little Hultom, Greater Manchester.
Jean suffered from kidney cancer and she was refused Sutent four times by the Salford Primary Care Trust (PCT) on the basis of the drug not being a cost effective one. Jean took the case to the High Court and the Sutent drug campaigning achieved victory in Mar 2009.
The expensive drug treatment cost 3500 pounds/month to a patient. Last August, Jean received an anonymous donation of 10,000 pounds for the treatment. She started taking the drug and it shrunk her tumour to half.
According to her daughter, Cathy, the treatment changed her completely. She said Murphy was able to walk stairs and sometimes even went shopping.
Jean’s efforts benefit cancer patients
Her incredible improvement prompted PCT and NHS watchdogs to relax rules and make the kidney cancer drug available free of cost to all.
On Aug 8, 2008, NHS had refused to include four kidney cancer drugs in the prescription for kidney cancer patients because they were very expensive. The patients were left with only one option- interferon therapy, and 75 percent of the patients did not benefit from it at all.
The four drugs were:
• Sutent (Sunitinib)
• Avastin (bevacizuniab)
• Nenavor (Sorafenib) and
• Torisel (temzirolimus)
