MANY patients in Wales with incurable breast cancer will get extra time to live now that a new drug is being made available in Wales, claims a charity.

The Welsh Government has approved the life-extending drug Kadcyla for routine use on the NHS - and Breast Cancer Now chief executive Baroness Delyth Morgan called it “fantastic” news.

Manufacturers Roche and NHS Wales have agreed the same commercial access scheme as for NHS England.

Kadcyla is a targeted treatment for patients with HER2 positive metastatic (secondary) breast cancer. The charity says it gives “significant and precious extra time to women with incurable secondary breast cancer” - on average, six months of extended life compared to existing treatments.

“We want to congratulate and thank campaigners across Wales for their critical role in ensuring that this crucial lifeline drug is now routinely available to those that need it,” said Baroness Morgan.