 |
Herceptin Petition Sends Strong Message
23 August 2007
The 27,464 signature strong Mandy Carter Herceptin Petition presented to Parliament today by Nelson MP Nick Smith sends a loud and clear message that New Zealanders support the funding of Herceptin for 12 months.
Five Nelson area women, all fundraising to pay for their own Herceptin treatment, launched the nationwide Petition earlier this year to highlight the need for women with early stage HER2 positive breast cancer to have funded access to 12 months of treatment.
‘We congratulate the Nelson women on their very successful Petition,’ said BCAC Chair, Libby Burgess. ‘It clearly illustrates that there is widespread, national support for the proven 12 months of funded Herceptin that women in 24 other OECD countries already receive. New Zealanders believe that women and their families dealing with a diagnosis of HER2 positive breast cancer should not have to face financial hardship in order to access the best care available. All New Zealand women, whatever their financial status, should receive appropriate, effective treatment for their illness so they can focus on fighting the disease and getting back to normal life.'
PHARMAC has decided to fund only 9 weeks of Herceptin, based upon the weak statistical evidence of a small Finnish trial. 24 other OECD countries have funded 52 weeks of Herceptin for women with early stage HER2 positive breast cancer, a sound decision based upon the proven data from international studies involving many thousands of women worldwide.
Ms Burgess added that the recent international Karolinska Institute Report showed that of 25 countries surveyed, only Poland has worse access to cancer treatment drugs than New Zealand. ‘It’s time for PHARMAC and the government to wake up and turn this awful statistic around,’ said Ms Burgess. ‘This is an essential step in making New Zealand’s Cancer Control Action Plan a reality and not merely an exercise in elaborate window dressing.’
Herceptin campaigner Anne Hayden submitted The Anne Easter Hayden Herceptin Petition to Parliament on March 16 2006. She said when she collected over 18,000 signatures and presented that first Herceptin petition to Parliament, she never imagined that women would still be fighting to get a fair deal a year later.
Petition Update 1 August 2007
The Petition has been extended until 10 August and will be presented to Parliament on 14 August. Please sign today and add your signature to the 10,000 already collected.
6 July 2007
To download a copy of the Petition, please click here.
Five Nelson area women, all currently fundraising to pay for treatment with Herceptin, have launched a nationwide Petition to highlight the need for women with early stage HER2 positive breast cancer to have funded access to 12 months of treatment.
PHARMAC has decided to fund only 9 weeks of Herceptin, based upon the weak statistical evidence of a small Finnish trial. Libby Burgess, BCAC Chair, said, 'This partial subsidy of the full 12 months' treatment still leaves the proven Herceptin treatment out of reach for the many NZ women who will be unable to afford to pay the difference.'
24 other OECD countries have funded 52 weeks of Herceptin for women with early stage HER2 positive breast cancer, a sound decision based upon the proven data from international trials involving thousands of women worldwide. The latest data from these trials after 4 years' follow up shows that the addition of Herceptin to chemotherapy decreased the chances of the cancer returning by 52% and the risk of death by 35%.
Herceptin campaigner Anne Hayden submitted The Anne Easter Hayden Herceptin Petition to Parliament on March 16 2006. She said when she collected over 18,000 signatures and presented that first Herceptin petition to Parliament, she never imagined that women would still be fighting to get a fair deal a year later.
'Women dealing with a diagnosis of HER2 positive breast cancer will continue to be faced with financial pressure when they should be properly cared for so they can focus on fighting the disease and getting back to normal life,' said Ms Burgess.
