Terminally ill woman feels 'worthless' after Government refuses to fund drug

A woman who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer has said the Government's refusal to pay for a chemotherapy drug called TDM1 - which she claims will prolong her life - makes her feel "worthless".

Health Minister Leo Varadkar claimed the drug was not cost effective, and was no more effective clinically than existing treatments.

The drug is developed by healthcare giant Roche and was turned down for public funding by the drugs price watchdog last year.

Margaret Ready said she was very disappointed with the response of the Health Minister today.

She said: "It just makes you feel worthless…I didn't ask him to overturn scientific fact. All I asked of him was to find out why it was taking so long for the drug to be funded, and why they were in negotiations for over a year."