THE PARENTS of a Hampshire boy denied access to a breakthrough drug to treat his life-limiting illness say they will carry on fighting for it.

Jagger Curtis suffers Duchenne muscular dystrophy and desperately needs access to expensive medication called Translarna which could delay the effects of the illness for the Romsey boy.

But health bosses at NHS England have deferred a decision about whether to fund the drug until further tests are done.

Even though the drug is already available in Europe, NHS England say they will wait for the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to provide further evidence, which won’t be available until next year.

Because of the muscle-wasting condition illness the Romsey Abbey Primary School pupil is unlikely to live beyond his 20s or be able to walk beyond 12 years old.

When that happens then Translarna won’t have any effect at all.

Now the seven-year old's parents, Jules Geary and James Curtis, say they will continue their fight for treatment for the little Saints fan.

James, 41, said: “This is not the result we were hoping for. I suppose it means we have to wait again, but time is not on our side.”

He said he would have preferred it if the decision had been a “yes or a no”.

“If they had said no, then we could have got on with it. You would know where you stand and we can move on and start the ball rolling,” he added.

The family have been backed in their campaign by Conservative Romsey MP Caroline Nokes and even took their calls for the treatment to the heart of Government when they lobbied on the steps of 10 Downing Street.

In a letter delivered to the Prime Minister David Cameron Jagger wrote: “I’m a massive Saints fan and I want to be playing football forever like my friends. Please can you help me, from Jagger.”

Robert Meadowcroft, chief executive of Muscular Dystrophy UK, said: “Translarna is the first and only treatment tackling the cause of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

“We simply cannot afford to refuse it to the group of boys whose lives it could transform and we urge Mr Cameron to listen to the desperate pleas of these and their families.”