Cancer gran wins battle for NHS drugs.

A GRANDMOTHER with terminal cancer who faced moving to get life-saving drugs on the NHS has won her battle with Midland health bosses to receive her medication.

Carol Rummels, from Stoke Lodge, in Bristol, considered moving to Scotland so she could continue to take the drug Tarceva.

Doctors had given the 61 year-old just two months to live after diagnosing with brain and lung cancer last summer.

But after taking the drug the tumours shrank, prolonging her life by another 12 months.

South Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust had previously refused to fund the treatment saying it would not 'routinely; pay for the drug, but would consider each individual case.

In Scotland it is free.

Over the past six months she has been paying out pounds 1,500 from her savings every month to pay for the tablets.

Now South Gloucestershire health bosses have a dramatic U-turn and told Mrs Rummels they would pay for the drug after she appealed against the decision.

The landmark ruling means that other cancer sufferers in the area that may benefit.

A spokesman for South Gloucestershire PCT said: "Following an exceptional funding appeal panel brought by Mrs Rummels and her family, South Gloucestershire PCT has independently reviewed its commissioning decision.

"As a result, it has undertaken to fund Tarceva for Mrs Rummels and any other South Gloucestershire patients who would meet the revised local commissioning policy."