Drug delay irks breast cancer patients

A patients' group is unhappy that more widespread use of a drug shown to nearly halve the risk of breast cancer recurrence may have to wait until 2007.

"Two years is a long time when New Zealand is losing so many of its women every year to breast cancer," said Breast Cancer Advocacy Coalition chairwoman Libby Burgess.

An international trial including 31 New Zealand women found that, post-surgery, Herceptin reduced the recurrence risk by 46 per cent. This was among women with early-stage cancer.

Herceptin is already state-funded for women with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer.

The drug's supplier, Roche Products New Zealand, said it hoped Herceptin's Health Ministry licence could be extended to early breast cancer by 2007. The company would also apply to Pharmac to extend funding of it to early breast cancer. A year's treatment costs at least $50,000.

* New Zealand Woman's Weekly is launching a campaign to publicise the need for better cancer treatment in this country. The magazine will publish coupons for readers to fill in pledging their support, and the coupons will be forwarded to Health Minister Annette King. Or email your support to the editor of New Zealand Woman's Weekly (link below).