Hallam breast cancer sufferer Kathy Levanic wants drug Herceptin urgently listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.By Rebecca Fraser
A HALLAM breast cancer sufferer says news that a potentially life-saving drug could soon be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is only a small step forward.
Kathy Levanic’s comment followed the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee’s (PBAC) recommendation last Friday that the Australian Government subsidise Herceptin for the treatment of patients with HER2 positive early-stage breast cancer.
Until now, the drug has only been available via the PBS to advanced HER-2 positive breast cancer sufferers. Early-stage sufferers, such as Ms Levanic, have been funding their own treatment or using community donations to pay for the therapy, which costs between $50,000 and $70,000 for a full course.
Ms Levanic said the Government now needed to put the drug on to the PBS as quickly as possible.
The 40-year-old mother of two has eight Herceptin treatments left and despite generous community donations she will still spend $20,000 of her own money on treatments.
“It needs to be approved now. Can’t people push it through quickly?” she said.
“Not just for me, but what about the women and men who cannot afford to get it.”
Several steps must still be completed before the drug, produced by pharmaceutical company Roche, can be listed on the PBS.
Price negotiations must now take place between Roche and the Department of Health and Ageing as well as talks about various details of the PBAC recommendation.
Holt MP Anthony Byrne has also been campaigning for the drug to be placed on the PBS and only last month addressed Federal Parliament about the issue.
He spoke of the 28,000 signatures he had received on behalf of a woman fighting the disease calling for it to be urgently placed on the PBS.
He was one of seven members to speak in Parliament on the Herceptin issue between 19 and 22 June.
Mr Byrne this week said while the latest move was an important step forward, the government needed to speed up its negotiations with Roche and make the drug readily available.
“This is an incredibly important first step but the Government needs to get in there and negotiate a price.
“It is still a long way from over and we need to keep the pressure on as the government has a moral responsibility. This won’t go away until it is listed,” he said.
