Call for cancer drug funding

WELLINGTON: A group of women with advanced breast cancer and their supporters marched on Parliament yesterday to present petitions calling for lifeextending medicines to be funded.

The lack of funding for cancer medicines Ibrance and Kadcyla, hailed as gamechangers for women with advanced breast cancer, has been labelled ‘‘the height of cruelty’’ by Breast Cancer Foundation NZ’s chief executive Evangelia Henderson.

The medicines are said to extend lives by years.

‘‘Why do people have to set up a Givealittle page, or worse, sell their house, to access these drugs?’’ Ms Henderson asked.

‘‘This is an opportunity to have a longer life, yet it’s out of reach for our women.

‘‘The fact that gamechanging drugs exist, yet are not available, is the height of cruelty.

‘‘And the fact that some people can pay for their own drugs while others can’t, widens the disparity within New Zealand.’’

She said the gap between New Zealand women’s survival with advanced breast cancer and that of women with advanced breast cancer overseas was just 16 months, compared with two to three years or more in countries like Australia, Germany and France.

The women delivered a 32,000signature petition calling for Ibrance to be funded, and a second petition to fund Kadcyla. — NZME