A CANCER sufferer campaigning for breast cancer drug Herceptin to be available on the NHS met executives from Central Cheshire Primary Care Trust (CCPCT) to state her case, writes Katie Cooksey.

Congleton MP Ann Winterton backed Jo-anne Leese and the Fight for Herceptin campaign at the meeting, where she pleaded to be given Herceptin, which is currently only licensed for secondary cancers.

Jo-anne, aged 30, from Alsager, said: "I want answers as to why the drug is safe enough for private patients and one southern PCT has funded treatment but it seems to be a postcode lottery."

PCT chief executive Michael Pyrah agreed to write to drug licensing body NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) about the issue and speeding up the process.

But he insists on following NICE guidelines.

MP Ann Winterton said: "I believe doctors should be able to prescribe what they think best for the patient.

"I would suggest NHS money would be better spent on cancer cases than form-filling."

A spokesman for CCPCT said: "We are caught between licensing guidelines and empathy for such cases."

kcooksey@guardiangrp.co.uk