Alan Quarterman's plea to NICE not to ban the drugs which are keeping him alive

I suffer from a rare form of cancer chronic myeloid leukaemia and I am pleading with you not to ban the drugs which are keeping me alive.

When I was diagnosed with the disease in 2007 there were 100 per cent mutations in my white blood cells.

My body began to reject a form of chemotherapy treatment called imatinib so I took part in a trial for dasatinib in 2008, which has reduced my cancer count to 0.048 per cent.

This drug is wonderful and if I had not taken it I would be dead by now.

People risk their lives going on these drug trials so we can look for cures for cancer, so when we find a treatment which actually works it is just criminal not to offer them to cancer sufferers.

The system seems broken somehow.

You say evidence for the effectiveness of the drugs is weak but why has my cancer not come back and why is the drug available in Scotland and Europe?

These drugs have given me a new lease of life. I am 65 next month yet I still play underwater hockey twice a week.

It has been a great way to keep fit and enjoy myself and I am the oldest member on the team.

Let people’s lives come before financial considerations and let medical people make the decisions.

Patients want to know there is a backup if their treatment stops working and these drugs are lifelines which give us piece of mind.

I understand there is a huge price for the drugs but who is to say how much a life is worth?

I am a father of four and I don’t want to die.

Yours sincerely,

Alan Quarterman

Sydenham Rise

Forest Hill

Factfile

Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is a rare type of bone marrow cancer which affects around 560 people in the UK each year.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), a drugs spending watchdog, will not be recommending dasatinib for the treatment of CML.

A final decision will be made in September.

Dasatinib costs more than £30,000 each year per patient.

In 2007 Mr Quarterman had 100 per cent mutations in his white blood cells, which prevents his immunity system from working, but dasatinib has now reduced his cancer count to 0.048 per cent.

To sign Mr Quarterman’s petition, visit gopetition.com/petitions/nice-i-don-t-think-so.html

NICE response

NICE chief executive Andrew Dillon says the evidence for the effectiveness of the drugs is very weak.

Mr Dillon said: “When we recommend the use of very expensive treatments, we need to be confident they bring sufficient additional benefit to justify their cost.”

MP backing

MP for Lewisham West Jim Dowd said: “I have written to NICE and the Department for Health seeking assurance that his treatment will continue as it is or a comparable treatment which is effective for him.”