Edinburgh MP Scott Arthur's Bill to promote research into rare cancers reaches crucial stage in House of Lords
Edinburgh MP Scott Arthur’s Bill to promote research into rare cancers reaches a crucial stage on Friday, January 16, as it is debated and voted on in the House of Lords.
Dr Arthur won unanimous support in the House of Commons last March for the proposed legislation, which aims to incentivise research and investment in the treatment of rare types of cancer.
Now he is hoping for the endorsement of the Upper House to allow it to become law. It is being guided through the Lords by Baroness Elliott of Whitburn Bay, a former Labour MP.
Among speakers due to take part in Friday’s Second Reading debate in the Lords are former Paralympic gold medallist Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Labour former Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer and Tory former Deputy Prime Minister Baroness Coffey.
Dr Arthur, Labour MP for Edinburgh South West, was able to bring forward his Bill after winning one of the top places in a ballot of MPs for Private Member’s Bills soon after he was elected to Westminster at the 2024 general election.
The Bill, which also has the backing of the Government, was inspired by his father-in-law, Ivor Huntchinson, who died from the rare brain cancer glioblastoma in 2018, aged 76.
Dr Arthur said that at the moment, because there is a relatively small market for the drugs for each type of rare cancer, there is little incentive for pharmaceutical companies to pursue new treatments, which means that some of the treatments currently used for these cancers have not advanced for 20 years or more.
If passed, his Bill would initiate a review of “orphan drug” regulations which could incentivise companies to trial existing cancer drugs for treating rare cancers, encouraging life-saving treatments to be trialled in the UK.
It would also promote clinical trials by requiring the Government to appoint a named person to provide leadership on the delivery of rare cancer research.
And it would create a single UK database for clinical trials and patient data on an opt-out basis, giving patients increased access to trials and giving researchers easier access to relevant patients.
Dr Arthur said: “Working closely with Baroness Elliott and leading cancer charities, we’ve ensured peers have the insight they need, and now there’s real momentum for change. Together, we’re driving progress that will make a meaningful difference to lives.
“This journey began with the heartbreaking loss of my father-in-law to a brain tumour. I’ll be in the House of Lords gallery alongside my wife, hopefully watching history being made.
“This is more than legislation to her, it’s hope for families like hers and countless others affected by rare cancers.”