One of the first British patients to be given a ‘breakthrough’ drug for deadly ovarian cancer has defied the odds, after the pill kept her cancer at bay for several years.
Val Simcock, 56, ran out of options in 2017 when a second bout of chemotherapy failed to halt the growth of her tumour. But the daily pill quickly stopped the cancer in its tracks.
Now up to 3,000 women with the disease are set to benefit from the drug, called niraparib, after the NHS spending watchdog NICE last week sanctioned its general use in England.
Val says: ‘I take three tablets every night just before bed and scans have since shown the drug isn’t just stopping the tumour from growing, it seems to be shrinking it slightly. That really fills me with hope for the future.’