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Cancer Hope: New Bill Could Boost Survival Rates
27 Feb
Summary
- A rare cancers bill aims to create a patient database for clinical trial matching.
- The legislation seeks to improve research incentives for rare cancer drug development.
- An incurable brain cancer patient is hopeful the bill will offer new treatment access.
Abi Feltham, diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor in May 2024, finds hope in the proposed Rare Cancers Bill aimed at improving survival rates for rare cancers. The 37-year-old London resident, given a 15-year prognosis, believes the bill could grant her access to clinical trials and new drugs. The legislation, which is moving to its third reading in the House of Lords on Friday, seeks to establish a patient database for easier clinical trial recruitment.
Rare cancers, affecting fewer than six in 100,000 people, often face limited research due to low market incentive for pharmaceutical companies. The Rare Cancers Bill intends to address this by requiring a review of 'orphan' drug laws and establishing a national lead for rare cancer research. The bill was inspired by Labour MP Scott Arthur, whose father-in-law died from glioblastoma, highlighting the need for similar research incentives as seen in other countries.
