Meeting of the Parliament 20 June 2018
I am delighted to have the opportunity of taking part in today’s debate. I pay tribute to the Labour Party for bringing it to the chamber and to Anas Sarwar for the campaign that he has fought.
The serious issues of cystic fibrosis and breast cancer are two completely separate conditions, but they have a common thread, in that they are both attributed to genetics. As we have seen, individuals who have those diseases have tried their best to do all that they can, and companies have consistently had an uphill struggle to ensure that they can successfully provide treatments for patients. However, thankfully—and due in no small part to current knowledge and expertise—two drugs are now available for cystic fibrosis and HER2-positive breast cancer.
First, Orkambi is different from traditional treatments for cystic fibrosis because it is a precision medicine. With traditional medicines, damage occurs and patients have seen their illness progress. Precision medicine targets the root cause and has the potential to ensure that lung function is restored and that the patient’s decline subsides. The Cystic Fibrosis Trust has recognised that 336 people in Scotland could currently benefit from having access to that drug; that is one third of the 900 people across the country who live with CF.
Perjeta is a newly developed drug for women with HER2-positive breast cancer, and has been created by the pharmaceutical company Roche. Today, we have heard how women in England and Wales can get the drug, but those in Scotland cannot. It gives patients with cancer the opportunity to have their treatment increased for 16 months, which is a lifeline for many and ensures that they spend more time with their families and loved ones. They need access to it now—not later.
We know the facts about Orkambi and Perjeta, and their benefits, but they are not available to Scottish patients, who cannot understand why they are not being seen as a priority. Why are they not being given those opportunities? The life expectancies of many are shortened, and they die because they do not have the drugs.
The Scottish Conservatives have made it quite clear, on numerous occasions in this Parliament, that Orkambi should be available—we have been discussing it since 2016. Indeed, in a debate last week we called for it to be made available. I pay tribute to Maurice Corry, who called for a portfolio approach whereby medicines for cystic fibrosis could become available for patients when they are manufactured and licensed. Deals of that type have already taken place in other countries, and people want to know why cost and bureaucracy are stopping them from happening here. Doctors can move patients on to new medicines if they believe that their access to them might ensure that they have longer life expectancies, and we should provide that. Only last month, Ruth Davidson spoke about Perjeta at First Minister’s question time. I also pay tribute to my colleague Miles Briggs, who last month held cross-party talks on the topic.
We have also talked in the Scottish Parliament about having a cross-border arrangement for Perjeta, to ensure that no one misses out on that crucial drug.
It all comes back to choice. The Scottish Government is making the choices. We must make sure that those are the right choices for the people of Scotland. They deserve nothing less. Enough is enough.
16:45