The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) announced its decision to approve life-extending drug Perjeta (pertuzumab) for routine use in treating secondary breast cancer on Scotland’s NHS this week.

The decision follows a campaign by patients and leading charity Breast Cancer Now, calling on manufacturer Roche, the Scottish Government and the SMC to secure a deal to make the drug available in Scotland – with over 12,000 people signing the charity’s Perjeta Now petition.

Perjeta offers women with incurable HER2-positive secondary breast cancer nearly 16 extra months of life on average, compared to existing treatments. It is given to patients in combination with trastuzumab and docetaxel (a chemotherapy drug) as a first-line treatment, and works by targeting the HER2 receptors on breast cancer cells.

The drug has been the standard of care in England since 2014 via the Cancer Drugs Fund, and was approved for routine use in England, Wales and Northern Ireland early last year – but it had previously been rejected by the Scottish Medicines Consortium three times in a row.

Ashleigh Simpson, Policy and Campaigns Manager (Scotland) at Breast Cancer Now, which led the Perjeta Now campaign, said: “We are absolutely delighted for patients that the SMC has finally been able to approve Perjeta for routine use on Scotland’s NHS. Perjeta is a truly life-changing drug and this decision will have a profound and far-reaching impact for so many Scottish women and their families.

“The benefits of this drug are extraordinary, offering women with incurable secondary breast cancer over four and a half years to live on average – nearly 16 precious extra months with their loved ones compared to existing treatments.

“We would like to thank every one of the 12,203 people who signed the Perjeta Now petition – you have helped ensure that hundreds of women with incurable breast cancer can be given more time to live.

“We are thrilled that the SMC, Roche and the Scottish Government have put patients first and worked together to ensure that women in Scotland can routinely access this life-extending drug.

“Today marks the end of a long wait for fair and equal access for Scottish patients. Going forward, the SMC, the Scottish Government and the industry must do all they can to ensure that highly-effective drugs like this can be made available to patients at prices the NHS can afford as soon as possible.”