KEY POINTS:
The women of New Zealand deserve better.
That was the message from a crowd of pink-clad, teddy bear-touting and bra-brandishing bikies who rolled into Parliament today to deliver a petition asking the Government to fund 52 weeks of the breast cancer drug Herceptin.
In total, 35 loud motorbikes did a circuit around Parliament, many bearing more than one rider and festooned with pink lingerie and fluffy toys.
The "Biking for Boobs" protest ride has brought motorcyclists from around the country together to present a third public petition seeking extended funding of the drug.
The Government's drug-funding agency, Pharmac, funds nine weeks of Herceptin for early stage HER2 positive breast cancer.
The stance has drawn widespread criticism from sufferers of the disease and their supporters.
They say the 12-month regime is proven to be effective and is funded by 24 other OECD countries.
Many New Zealand women had mortgaged their homes or struggled with fundraising, while suffering from breast cancer, in order to raise the money required for the extra weeks.
Eight breast cancer patients have challenged Pharmac's policy in the High Court in Wellington.
About 100 people gathered at the rally on the steps at Parliament today.
Biking for Boobs spokeswoman Maxine Cook said about 1500 signatures had been collected.
Although the petition was not as large as the other two petitions, she said it was important to deliver the message.
"You only need one more straw to break the camel's back," she said.
She said New Zealand women deserved to be treated better. The Government was ignoring the plight of cancer sufferers.
She had been spurred into action by concern over a friend, who had struggled to raise the money to pay for the extra treatments, while battling a life-threatening disease, and caring for her family.
Oncologists were advising patients to pay for as many extra treatments they could afford.
- NZPA
