FORMER colleagues of a woman given six months to live are campaigning for a wonder drug that could prolong her life.

Cancer sufferer Susan Price is being denied the drug because she does not have the right postcode.

Yet, only a few miles away, patients are eligible for NHS treatment.

Mrs Price, a former Bolton Council worker, could have the treatment privately but it comes at a huge price - £1,000 for the initial treatment and then £700 a week for the rest of her life.

Now, she desperately hopes health chiefs in Greater Manchester will change their minds and agree to pay for the costly treatment.

Bolton Town Centre manager Karen Wheeldon and former Bolton Council colleagues are urging others to help raise funds for Susan, who battled breast cancer in 1998 but discovered in May this year that the disease had spread to her liver. She was forced to leave her job as a regeneration town planner with Bolton Council because of her condition.

Ms Wheeldon said: "We are all anxious to get this fund underway. Speed is of the essence."

Approval

Doctors at Manchester's Christie Hospital want to treat Mrs Price, aged 34, of Garner Avenue, Timperley, with a new drug, Herceptin, which has been available to women in America for the past four years, but the drug is yet to win approval from The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE). Despite this, a few health authorities, including Liverpool, are already prescribing the drug.

Mrs Price11: "I feel very angry and annoyed at the injustice. Facing an issue like this means I have enough on my mind without worrying about how to afford this treatment."

Only a 45 minute drive away from Mrs Price's home the drug is available to women at the Clatterbridge Hospital.

Mrs Price has no intention of giving up the fight and said she will be protesting at the "postcode lottery" and bringing the issue to the attention of MPs.

In the meantime, Susan has decided to go ahead and start the costly treatment as she fears waiting any longer will reduce the chances of it working.

Anyone interested in fund-raising should phone Karen Wheeldon, Bolton Town Centre Manager on 523762.

Donations can be made to the Sue Price Cancer Fund, sort code: 20 10 71, account number: 90100064.