NCRI 2015

The work of charity Breast Cancer Now

Baroness Delyth Morgan of Drefelin, Wales, UK

Breast Cancer Now is a new charity formed out of the merger of Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Breast Cancer Campaign. We fund about a third of research in the UK into breast cancer, from open access research grants, from PhD studentships or research fellows through to a research centre at the Institute of Cancer Research. So quite a broad range of research activities. We also provide health information and advice and campaign around issues of concern to people affected by breast cancer. One of the big issues of the moment is access to drugs, so whether you’re talking about the very new and innovative treatments that are at the more expensive end of the spectrum that are made available or not through the Cancer Drug Fund, or whether you’re looking at repurposed drugs like bisphosphonates that are off patent and potentially very cheap but still not getting through to the patients who might benefit. So those are the kinds of areas that we might campaign on. We’re a new, growing charity and it’s great to have brought two research charities together and to start with this new initiative. It’s been very, very positively received by all those who care about breast cancer.