Mexican student wins court battle for rare cancer drug Entrectinib at IMSS

Mariana Dávalos, a 23-year-old biology student, has won a legal battle to receive the cancer drug Entrectinib from the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS). Dávalos suffers from a rare grade three synovial sarcoma with an NTRK fusion, a condition that has spread to her lymph nodes and lungs.

After a year of battling the illness and facing the spread of metastasis, Dávalos experienced symptoms including fatigue, arm swelling, and shortness of breath. Molecular testing revealed her tumor's genetic mutation could be treated with Entrectinib, also known as Rozlytrek, rather than aggressive chemotherapy.

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I had been treating that condition for a year and now I have metastasis in the lymph nodes and the left lung. I have many symptoms: fatigue, tumors again in my right arm, great heaviness in the arm, shortness of breath, and constant dizziness.

Her father, Roberto Dávalos, explained that the IMSS initially refused to provide the medication, claiming a lack of sufficient scientific evidence. However, the family, with support from the "Justice Against Cancer" association, filed a legal injunction. The court ordered the IMSS to either provide the drug or offer a superior therapeutic alternative.

Despite the initial rejection, the IMSS has now agreed to administer the Entrectinib, and the student has signed her consent for the treatment. The family asserts that the drug has scientific backing and sanitary authorization in Mexico, and that previous chemotherapies had failed to halt the cancer's progression.

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The judge ordered the IMSS to make all the necessary arrangements to acquire the medication my daughter needs or, if they couldn't provide it, to give her a better therapeutic option.