Petition for HSE to approve Nivolumab for Lung Cancer Patients in Ireland

Over 2,300 Irish people are diagnosed with lung cancer every year, with over half of these diagnoses already at an advanced stage. More Irish men and women die from lung cancer than any other type, yet despite this the Irish government have refused a breakthrough and potentially life-extending immunotherapy for lung cancer patients which is available in both the U.S. and U.K.

Nivolumab (Opdivo) is an antibody drug that helps the immune system fight cancer. Numerous studies have proven that Nivolumab helps reduce non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumours and extends the lives of patients who have disease progression during or after chemotherapy and have limited treatment options. While Nivolumab was approved by the HSE for the treatment of skin, kidney and blood cancer in Ireland in October 2017, the executive decided not to support the use of the drug in the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. It was rejected on cost-efficiency grounds, despite the many studies proving its success. In a nutshell, patients are being deprived of this possible life extending treatment because of its cost.

My dad was diagnosed with lung cancer in April 2017. Too advanced to cure, he received many rounds of aggressive chemotherapy in an attempt to contain the cancer. However, this was sadly met with little success as tumours continue to increase all over his body, including in his liver and bones. As he will soon have exhausted all treatment options, his oncologist voiced he is a prime candidate for Nivolumab, yet it leaves us as a family deeply devastated and frustrated that this is not an option available to him in his home country, simply because the government refuses to pay for it.

I kindly ask anyone who has read this today to sign the petition and/or share it in order to mount pressure on the HSE for this life-extending drug to become available to lung cancer patients in Ireland. Even if this cause does not affect you directly now, it may in the future, with the Irish Cancer Society predicting that 1 in 2 people will be struck by a form of the illness in their lifetime. We never imagined it would land on our doorstep and wouldn’t wish it on anyone else’s. All support is greatly appreciated. Thank you.