LONDON, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- British Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt has promised a new life-saving drug for breast cancer victims.
Her announcement came in London after the success of Barbara Clark, a nurse, who won a legal battle with her local health providers this week to be given the drug Herceptin.
Hewitt's promise was directed at women who have breast cancer diagnosed in the future, the Times of London said.
The Department of Health estimates that Herceptin could save the lives of 1,000 women a year in Britain, a figure backed by Roche, the drug's manufacturer.
At present, Herceptin is licensed for late-stage breast cancer that has already spread. Trials show, however, that it is also very effective much earlier. Roche hopes to have a new license by July.
