Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy is essential for people with pancreatic cancer.
Without it, patients become severely malnourished and even starve to death, and may not be able to have the life-saving treatment they desperately need.
With major shortages across the UK, our open letter to the Cancer Minister calls for urgent action.
You can read our open letter, signed by 66 MPs and Peers, below.
MP/Peer letter to the Cancer Minister
Dear Minister,
We are 66 parliamentarians who, alongside the charity Pancreatic Cancer UK, are writing to raise our concerns over the alarming shortages of Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy (PERT). These shortages are severely affecting people with pancreatic cancer across the country. We are calling for a national plan to tackle these going forward.
Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy plays an integral role in helping people with pancreatic cancer to properly digest their food, maintain a healthy weight and be well enough to have treatment, including life-saving surgery. For those where treatment is no longer an option, PERT can make their final months much more comfortable. The current shortages are therefore extremely concerning and devastating for people affected by this deadly cancer.
Over the last 12 months, people with pancreatic cancer across the UK have felt the devastating impact of these shortages. With more than 61,000 people relying on PERT, whether for pancreatic cancer or for other conditions, urgent action is vital. Without access to PERT, people become severely malnourished, literally starving to death as their body is unable to digest food properly. Ultimately, the lack of PERT is impacting people’s chances of survival, their physical and mental health and their ability to play an active role in society.
We understand the shortages are due to a lack of raw active ingredients (pig-derived enzymes) and the limited manufacturing capacity of Viatris, the manufacturer of Creon. Whilst we recognise that Viatris has endeavoured to tackle this shortfall, we are concerned that the shortages are expected to persist. Meanwhile, patients will have to bear the huge stress and anxiety of finding the necessary dosages to survive.
These challenges will continue to be exacerbated by the increased demand for PERT as a historically under-prescribed medication. PERT is essential for all people with pancreatic cancer and thanks to greater awareness and updated guidance, demand will and should continue to increase.
Whilst the Government has been taking steps to tackle the shortages, the situation isn’t being resolved quickly enough. We need strong leadership from the Government to really drive forward progress on this issue. We are therefore calling for:
- The Government to convene and lead a high-level stakeholder roundtable to address the shortages alongside PERT manufacturers, patient advocacy groups and Government stakeholders to discuss practical measures and solutions to the ongoing crisis.
- Following this roundtable, we ask that the Government produces a detailed action plan and establishes a PERT shortages taskforce to help to achieve these next steps.
As you’ll agree, living with pancreatic cancer is devastating enough without the significant stress and anxiety caused by shortages of a crucial medication. PERT is an absolute necessity for thousands of people, and we urge you to act now to address this crisis.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Adam Dance, Member of Parliament for Yeovil and South Somerset
Alison Bennett, Member of Parliament for Mid Sussex
Angus MacDonald, Member of Parliament for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire
Anna Sabine, Member of Parliament for Frome and East Somerset
Anneliese Midgley, Member of Parliament for Knowsley
Antonia Bance, Member of Parliament for Tipton and Wednesbury
Ayoub Khan, Member of Parliament for Birmingham Perry Barr
Baroness Golding
Ben Lake, Member of Parliament for Ceredigion Preseli
Ben Maguire, Member of Parliament for North Cornwall
Cameron Thomas, Member of Parliament for Tewkesbury
Carla Lockhart, Member of Parliament for Upper Bann
Caroline Voaden, Member of Parliament for South Devon
Charlie Maynard, Member of Parliament for Witney
Chris Bloore, Member of Parliament for Redditch
Chris Coghlan, Member of Parliament for Dorking and Horley
Christine Jardine, Member of Parliament for Edinburgh West
Claire Hanna, Member of Parliament for Belfast South and Mid Dow
Clive Betts, Member of Parliament for Sheffield South East
Clive Jones, Member of Parliament for Wokingham
Danny Chambers, Member of Parliament for Winchester
Dave Doogan, Member of Parliament for Angus and Perthshire Glens
David Chadwick, Member of Parliament for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm-Tawe
Dr Allison Gardner, Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent
Dr Scott Arthur, Member of Parliament for Edinburgh South West
Ellie Chowns, Member of Parliament for North Herefordshire
Euan Stainbank, Member of Parliament for Falkirk
Frank McNally, Member of Parliament for Coatbridge and Bellshill
Freddie Van Mierlo, Member of Parliament for Henley and Thame
Greg Smith, Member of Parliament for the Mid Buckinghamshire
Gurinder Josan, Member of Parliament for Smethwick
Helen Maguire, Member of Parliament for Epsom and Ewell
Ian Roome, Member of Parliament for North Devon
Ian Sollom, Member of Parliament for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire
Jas Athwal, Member of Parliament for Ilford South
Jess Brown-Fuller, Member of Parliament for Chichester
Jim Shannon, Member of Parliament for Strangford
John Milne, Member of Parliament for Horsham
Juliett Campbell, Member of Parliament for Broxtowe
Kim Johnson, Member of Parliament for Liverpool Riverside
Lee Dillon, Member of Parliament for Newbury
Liz Jarvis, Member of Parliament for Eastleigh
Liz Saville-Roberts, Member of Parliament for Dwyfor Meirionnydd
Lord Moylan
Manuela Perteghella, Member of Parliament for Stratford-on-Avon
Maureen Burke, Member of Parliament for Glasgow North East
Michael Wheeler, Member of Parliament for Worsley and Eccles
Mike Martin, Member of Parliament for Tunbridge Wells
Nadia Whittome, Member of Parliament for Nottingham East
Neil Duncan-Jordan, Member of Parliament for Poole
Olly Glover, Member of Parliament for Didcot and Wantage
Paul Kohler, Member of Parliament for Wimbledon
Paulette Hamilton, Member of Parliament for Birmingham Erdington
Rachel Gilmour, Member of Parliament for Tiverton and Minehead
Richard Tice, Member of Parliament for Boston and Skegness
Robin Swann, Member of Parliament for South Antrim
Sarah Edwards, Member of Parliament for Tamworth
Sarah Gibson, Member of Parliament for Chippenham
Sarah Olney, Member of Parliament for Richmond Park
Seamus Logan, Member of Parliament for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East
Steff Aquarone, Member of Parliament for North Norfolk
Steve Darling, Member of Parliament for Torbay
Tim Roca, Member of Parliament for Macclesfield
Victoria Collins, Member of Parliament for Harpenden and Berkhamsted
Will Forster, Member of Parliament for Woking
Zoe Franklin, Member of Parliament for Guildford