Ann Marie Rogers
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Ann Marie Rogers was a British campaigner who fought a successful landmark court battle to receive the breast cancer drug Herceptin on the NHS.[1][2]
Following her diagnosis with the disease and chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Swindon Primary Care Trust refused to pay for the Herceptin which could extend her life.[3]
She borrowed £5,000 to pay for the drug, hailed by specialists as 'the biggest breakthrough in 20 years'[4] privately and decided to go further after reading in the Daily Mail about the possibility of legal action. She was the first woman to pursue a legal challenge when Swindon primary care trust denied her the drug.
Rogers originally lost her High Court case, but took it to the Court of Appeal in April 2006 who overturned the original ruling. [5]
Yogi Amin, from law firm Irwin Mitchell, who represented Ms Rogers throughout her legal battle, said that her courage had paved the way for thousands of women throughout the UK to benefit from Herceptin.[6] The drug was fast-tracked for use on the NHS as a result.[7]
Herceptin (trastuzumab) is a treatment for women with breast cancer whose tumors have too much HER2 protein. This type of cancer is known as "HER2-positive", "HER2+", or "HER2 overexpressing". HER2+ tumors tend to grow and spread more quickly than tumors that are not HER2+. In 2006, Herceptin was approved for the adjuvant treatment of HER2+ breast cancer.[8]
“She was genuinely an inspiration to be around and showed tremendous courage and determination"[9]
Rogers died on March 2, 2009, aged 57; survived by three children. [10]
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Ann Marie Rogers [11]
[edit] References
- ^ Tribute site to Rogers
- ^ Irwin Mitchell http://www.irwinmitchell.com/news/Pages/herceptin-woman-loses-fight-for-life.aspx
- ^ www.careandhealthlaw.com http://www.careandhealthlaw.com/Public/Index.aspx?ContentID=-66&IndexType=1&TopicID=467&Category=1
- ^ Ann Marie Rogers, Daily Mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-387615/Herceptin-So-wonder-drug.html
- ^ Court of Appeal ruling
- ^ The Times http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article5853302.ece
- ^ BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5058952.stm
- ^ www.herceptin.com http://www.herceptin.com/breast-cancer-resources/faqs.jsp
- ^ Yogi Amin, Irwin Mitchell http://www.irwinmitchell.com/news/Pages/herceptin-woman-loses-fight-for-life.aspx
- ^ BBC report of Rogers' death
- ^ Lee Woodrough, her son
