A musician with one of Birmingham's best known bands has accused health bosses of signing his death warrant after they refused to hear his appeal for life-saving drugs.

Kex Gorin, a former member of rock group Magnum, claims he has become a victim of a postcode lottery after a refusal to fund drugs which will help him fight the advanced stages of kidney cancer.

The former drummer saw hope in a decision by Warwickshire PCT to allow him to appeal against the ruling at an individual cases panel.

But on Saturday, 58-year-old Kex and his partner Sally received a letter from the trust saying an appeal would not be held.

He said: "I just felt disgusted when I received the letter, and since then I have just tried to shut it all away.

"It is like my last chance has just drained away. I have not heard anything from my solicitor since then and now it looks very bad.

"I have not been myself since this news. I am not sure what I can do."

The couple, who live in Great Alne, Warwickshire, are calling on Warwickshire PCT to give Kex the life-extending drug Sunitinib.

The former rocker, who grew up in Shard End, Birmingham, was given until Christmas to live without the drugs, which are costing the couple £2,700 every six weeks.

The individual cases panels are held to determine opposed health trust decisions. The petitioners are not allowed to attend the panel, but can submit written evidence.

Ms Clark said: "The panel was really our only hope to not have to pay for these drugs and I had been collecting lots of scientific evidence to prove that the drugs were working. But that has all been for nothing."

She added: "This drug has a full licence in this country and people within certain postcodes are prescribed it routinely by their PCTs.

"But Warwickshire say it is not cost effective and there is no clinical evidence to support its use. This is incorrect.

"The drug is costing us £2,700 for a six-week cycle, but for a year's supply it would cost around £18,000.

"The guidelines for drug funding is that the NHS can spend up to £30,000 per person per year, so we cannot work out why they won't fund it?

"There is an abundance of official clinical evidence out there to suggest that the drug is much more effective than other treatments on offer - hence it getting a full EU license.

"Although it is not shown to fully cure the disease, it has been proven to double people's life expectancy and have less side effects than any other treatment."

Ms Clark has organised a series of gigs to raise cash to help fund Mr Gorin's treatment. A benefit gig held at The Roadhouse Venue in Stirchley, Birmingham, on September 2, raised £2,200. Another held at Longbarn Village, near Alcester last week raised £5,000.

More concerts are being planned as the couple hope to raise the £18,000 needed to fund the drugs for a year.

No one from Warwickshire PCT was available for comment yesterday.

* Anyone who wishes to help Kex's campaign or attend one of the gigs should visit www.myspace.com/sally_clark