'Give me the drug that will keep me alive'

John Allen is battling liver cancer. The cetuximab, which is keeping him alive, is not available on the health service.

Its 25,000-30,000 annual cost is being met by Mr Allen's private medical insurance. But that will run out in April.

The only alternative to him paying for the drug after that is to become probably the only person in West Sussex to ask the NHS for the vital medication.

He said: "I don't really want to die yet. I've got four children and three grandchildren, with another due soon, and I want to spend more time with them.

"I've got too many things I still want to do. Our lives are short enough as it is. This situation with the NHS not paying for drugs makes me angry.

"People have to go to hell and back with cancer. That's difficult enough to deal with, but then to have to fight to get a drug which can give you an extra six to eight months makes it a lot worse.

"For a family to know that there's a drug which will give individuals extra time only to be denied it because of funding is completely wrong. I believe everyone should have access to the latest medical care.

"It should not be based on what you can afford. It should be free to everybody. "Cetuximab helped me enjoy last Christmas with my family but I don't know if I will be around for next Christmas."

A spokeswoman for West Sussex Primary Care Trust, which funds NHS drug treatment locally, said Mr Allen should contact it to ask to receive cetuximab.

"We are not aware of any application from Mr Allen for cetuximab. Cetuximab is a drug which has been looked at by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence and has not been recommended for the NHS to fund. So, we would not normally pay for it in line with national guidelines. We do have a system for considering funding requests."

Mr Allen (62), of Crossbush Road, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in December, 2005. He spent that Christmas in hospital after an operation to remove the tumours. Six months of chemotherapy followed.

He was then given the all-clear. But 18 months later and an examination found the cancer had spread to his liver. He underwent another operation in February 2008, but the surgeon was unable to remove the tumours.

Mr Allen's oncologist agreed to him using cetuximab from last April to battle his condition. The drug has brought Mr Allen's tumour count down. Gene tests have shown the drug is helping him to live longer.

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