Ask your
MP to help
Please use the link below to email your Member of Parliament and ask them to enter the 'Private Members’ Bill ballot' so they can take forward Margaret's Law.
What's a ‘Private Members’ Bill’?
They are a type of law that any backbench Member of Parliament can introduce to the House of Commons. It is a rare chance for MPs who are not part of the Government to pass a law on any topic they like.
If an MP wants to introduce one, they have to enter a ballot, and if their name is drawn in the top 10, they have a realistic chance of their bill passing into law. This year the ballot is taking place on September 5th.
What is Margaret's Law?
Margaret's Law would encourage the pharmaceutical industry to find a cure for glioblastoma brain tumours. It would extend the patent life on medicines that treat a glioblastoma, so that the companies would be incentivised to run clinical trials.
And by requiring them to publish a plan about what they are doing for brain tumour patients, there would be no getting out of their obligations. The regulation has both "carrot" and "stick".
How you can help
Email your MP encouraging them to enter the Private Members’ Bill ballot using the draft text below.
You can find out who your MP is by clicking the button below and typing in your postcode. Then just copy and paste the text under Step 1 below and send the email.
And send a copy to Siobhain McDonagh MP on siobhain.mcdonagh.mp@parliament.uk
Copy this text and paste it into the email to your MP…
As your constituent, I am writing to ask if you would enter this year’s Private Members’ Bill ballot. If successful in the ballot, I would be grateful if you could take forward ‘Margaret’s Law’ named after Baroness Margaret McDonagh who died of a glioblastoma brain tumour in 2023. Please could you respond to this email, letting me know whether you would consider this.
The Bill, which is ‘oven ready’, would introduce financial incentives for the pharmaceutical industry to find a cure for glioblastoma brain tumours.
Outcomes for everyone who is diagnosed with a glioblastoma have not improved for 40 years and the treatment options have not changed for 30 years. Families regularly crowdfund to send their loved ones to Germany because there are no clinical trials available in our NHS. In other words, the 3,200 people who are diagnosed every year, have no hope.
This Bill could change that. By extending the patent life on medicines that treat a glioblastoma, the pharmaceutical industry would be financially incentivised to run clinical trials aimed at finding a cure. And by requiring them to publish a plan about their efforts, the regulation has both "carrot" and "stick". The Bill would not cost the exchequer any money, and the change in regulations would make the trials economically viable.
The ballot is open on Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 September. You can enter the ballot by signing the Private Members’ Bill ballot book located in the No Lobby from 11.30am until 6pm, and from 6pm until the rise of the House in the Public Bill Office.
Thank you for your time and I would be grateful if you could let me know whether you would consider entering the ballot. You can also contact Siobhain McDonagh MP on siobhain.mcdonagh.mp@parliament.uk to find out more.
