Loose Women star Nadia Sawalha has announced the death of one of her fellow campaigners, who helped fight for the life-changing drug Enhertu to be made available in Wales, Northern Ireland and England.
Earlier this year, Nadia, 59, and 30 other women all showed their breasts as part of a campaign to get attention from the Government and since then, a meeting with Health Secetary Wes Streeting has been scheduled for later this month.
While this is positive progress for the campaign, the presenter has shared that one of the campaigners has since sadly lost her life, and believes the drug could’ve saved her.
Nadia told Express.co.uk: “Since that day when we were on the green, one of our women has actually died, she died two days ago in a hospice and her next line of treatment would’ve been Enhertu.
“It’s just awful and then we have a number of women from that group… there’s 31 women a day who die from secondary breast cancer, there’s a number of women from that photograph who, they need Enhertu next.
“They have young children, they are young women and it’s just heartbreaking.”
With a meeting now in place next month with the Health Secretary, Nadia added: “We’re hoping he’s a bit more sympathetic to us as he’s had cancer himself when he was younger.”
While she accepts that he’s not solely responsible to make the change, she is hopeful he can “put some pressure” on making the drug available to more women in need.
Nadia added: “The thing is, what is the point in having all this research for cancer, if when they discover a drug, and it’s few lines of treatment for this particular kind of cancer, secondary breast cancer, what the hell is going on?
“When 65 other countries and Scotland can have it, and women in Wales, England and Northern Ireland can’t, it’s not fair.”
Studies have shown that the FDA-approved Enhertu, rejected by NICE (The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence), can prevent growth of tumours by a year, reportedly longer than standard chemotherapy.
In a statement from NICE in July, they said of their decision: “We are deeply disappointed that we are unable to recommend Enhertu for use in the NHS for advanced HER2-low breast cancer
“As we’ve always made clear, the fastest and only guaranteed way to get medicines like Enhertu to the patients who need them is for companies to offer a fair price.”
Nadia has been campaigning for the change amid her close friend Hannah Gardner’s devastating cancer journey.
Hannah was given her primary breast cancer diagnosis in 2013, however despite various treatment it returned twice more.
In July 2022, she was then given the news that she had terminal breast cancer, specifically hormone-positive, HER2-low breast cancer.
Just like fellow sufferers, Hannah, a mother-of-one, wants to raise awareness about the importance of Enhertu, as the thought of leaving her young daughter without a mum “breaks (her) heart”.
She added to PA Real Life: “If my current treatment stops working before Enhertu is approved, I’ll be left wondering if a move to Scotland could extend my life.”
Nadia added: “Women like Hannah shouldn’t have to fight for access to a drug, waiting in limbo, fearing all along that their cancer could be progressing. Hannah deserves time to see her daughter grow, to be there for her important milestones. Knowing this treatment exists but is out of reach, in my opinion seems incredibly cruel.”
To help raise money for the secondary breast cancer community, see here.
