Breast-cancer drug appeal to Pharmac

By MARTIN JOHNSTON



Breast-cancer experts say the Government should fully subsidise an expensive drug which saves more lives than the traditional treatment.

Pharmac, the Government's drug-funder, subsidises Arimidex only partially for patients with early breast cancer, leaving them to pay the top-up of more than $100 a month themselves.

It pays the full cost only when the cancer has spread to another part of the body and the patient is resistant to Tamoxifen, which was long the "gold standard" treatment.

Pharmac is considering extending funding to all patients whose bodies are intolerant of Tamoxifen - but will not state when, nor what restrictions might be imposed.

Breast surgeon Dr Belinda Scott, chairwoman of the Breast Cancer Foundation's medical committee, said New Zealand should follow Australia in paying for expanded access to Arimidex.

Each year in New Zealand more than 2000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and the disease kills more than 600.

About 80 per cent of breast-cancer patients need to take drugs in the Tamoxifen class.

Of them, around 5 per cent are Tamoxifen-intolerant.

Dr Scott noted that New Zealand's breast-cancer death rate was 28 per cent higher than Australia's and said more should be done to bring it down.

Pharmac's lack of progress meant there were no fully subsidised drugs for women with early stage breast cancer who could not take Tamoxifen.

They either had to pay the Arimidex top-up or go without, she said.

A trial of more than 9000 women has shown Arimidex is more effective than Tamoxifen at reducing cancer recurrence and produces fewer side-effects.

Breast physician Dr Marli Gregory, of St Marks Woman's Health clinic in Auckland, suggested Arimidex should be fully funded for women who suffered unacceptable but common side-effects on Tamoxifen, such as hot flushes, mood swings or depression.

"That would be a huge advance on what we have at the moment, because there are a huge number who cannot afford Arimidex at about $120 a month."

At present, many patients had to choose between the side-effects of Tamoxifen and having no treatment.

"It's not a great choice."

Pharmac's medical director, Dr Peter Moody, said yesterday that extending access to aromatase inhibitors (which reduce the oestrogen that fuels cancer) was a priority for the agency now that, unlike last year, it had some money to spend on new drugs or improved access.