IN RECENT weeks, I have been honoured to be re-elected as the chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Off-Patent Drugs.

I was proud to have secured changes in the law during the last Parliament in my quest to secure wider access to re-purposed drugs that will benefit patients with diseases including cancer, Parkinson’s and MS.

Changes on the front-line are already happening: as covered by the Argus in April, the British National Formulary, the reference guide for prescribers, known as the “Bible” for practitioners, is already covering off-label drugs, including those with a sufficient evidence base, meaning that information on these drugs will be at the fingertips of those who are dealing with patients every day.

Alongside the work on the British National Formulary, I will be pressing the UK government on other promises made to me in parliamentary debates, including producing a report and pathway on access to off-patent drugs.

I am determined to build on what I achieved in the last couple of years and make sure that this makes a difference to as many people as possible.

The fight against cancer will always be a high priority for me in Parliament, and I know it means a great deal to those I represent.

Cancer touches every family.

I was so proud to speak in Parliament last week about the incredible efforts of local people who participated in the Cancer Research UK Relay for Life last Sunday.

It was my honour to speak at the closing ceremony of this inspirational 24-hour event in Pontypool Park, which not only raises tens of thousands of pounds for scientists searching for treatments in laboratories all around the country, it also sends a strong message of solidarity to all those families affected by this terrible disease: you are not alone, and we, the wider community, are with you.