EMPOWER: ACCESS TO MEDICINE CAMPAIGN

That this House welcomes the hard work of campaigners such as Les Halpin, who lost his battle with motor neurone disease in September 2013; notes the impact that such campaigns such as Empower: Access to Medicine, which Les founded, and those in the muscular dystrophy community, such as Joining Jack and Duchenne Children's Trust, have had on progressing the issue of drug development; further welcomes the news that the Government will commit to an early access scheme; further notes that this is a potentially significant development for those suffering from rare diseases with unmet clinical need and a clear demonstration that pressure from the patient community can have a positive effect; and calls on the Government to ensure that the early access scheme reaches as many patients as possible.