Clive Lewis For Norwich South
On Monday, I spoke in the Westminster Hall debate on Cystic Fibrosis on behalf of my constituents Rachael and Ethan.
I met with them a few weeks ago to learn about what 11-year-old Ethan has to deal with as a CF sufferer (and his Mum Rachael, as his primary carer) and was extremely touched by his confidence and willingness to share his story.
It is heartbreaking to know that there is a drug out there that we know could change Ethan’s life, and yet he does not have access to it due to the ongoing price war between the NHS and pharmaceutical company Vertex.
The under-funding of the NHS plays it’s part in this, but we must also recognise that giant pharmaceuticals are continuing to put the lives of patients at risk, as they seek to extract the highest possible price from our NHS.
There are many cystic fibrosis sufferers in the UK, like Ethan, who could vastly benefit from these life-changing drugs. I firmly believe that we must put patients, not profits, at the centre of our healthcare system, and I call upon the Government to urgently review the access to these CF drugs.
I will put a full video of my speech up later today, but please read the EDP article on my speech here:
https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/politics/clive-lewis-cites-case-of-norwich-cystic-fibrosis-youngster-in-debate-1-6100835?fbclid=IwAR1G1NWKFf1H9Co6KEAYJ491xR5U2horKLGGkTqYQNgOqePUwY0ndB5_R-k