Pharmac confirmed today that it will not fund breast cancer treatment drug Herceptin for women with early stage HER2 positive disease. This decision will adversely affect the prognosis of over 600 New Zealand women diagnosed with this aggressive form of breast cancer every year.

‘It is particularly cruel making this announcement during Breast Cancer Awareness month,’ said BCAC Chair Libby Burgess, ‘and hard on the heels of celebrating a government surplus.’

The Pharmac decision places New Zealand at the bottom of the OECD in provision of health care along with a few countries still not funding Herceptin - The Czech and Slovak Republics, Poland, Turkey and South Korea. All other countries have reviewed the same data as Pharmac and approved funding for the life-saving drug.

Australia approved funding for Herceptin for use in early stage breast cancer as of October 1.

‘PHARMAC’s claim that there is uncertainty around the Herceptin data is misleading, vague and irresponsible,’ said Ms Burgess. ‘Trials involving around 12,000 women with early stage HER2 positive breast cancer have consistently shown that 12 months treatment with Herceptin leads to a 33% reduction in death rate after 2 to 3 years’ follow-up.  The rate of recurrence of this aggressive cancer is reduced by 36 to 52%.  These are remarkably powerful results and that’s why Australia, the UK and 22 OECD countries are providing Herceptin for their women.’

BCAC has criticised the government’s pharmaceutical purchasing system by saying it is based on rationing and geared to resist provision of funding for new drugs. ‘The budget is woefully inadequate,’ said Ms Burgess, ‘and delivers second rate health care to New Zealanders. That’s just not acceptable. Pharmac’s decision today is driven entirely by the cost of the Herceptin which is not high per patient, compared to some other drugs that Pharmac already funds, but Herceptin would be needed for about 400 women per year. Ironically, if breast cancer were not such a common disease, the total cost would be lower and we would have a better chance of obtaining funding. None of this changes the fact that a large number of New Zealand women are being told that their lives are not worth the investment.’