I am so sorry for your cousin's friend. This is awful!! I don't have any of the medications she seeks. I have a few suggestions that she might try. 1) She could ask the same question on
www.bcmets.org. There may be someone on that list who has extras or who knows how to get the medications for free or at reduced cost. 2) I believe that Tykerb has a program called "Tykerb cares" that helps supply Tykerb to patients. 3) A woman on the youngsurvival website set up her own site at
www.armyofpink.org that includes links to financial resources for breast cancer patients. Although I haven't looked at the site closely, it appears to compile a lot of information regarding financial assistance, including information broken down by state. 4) Speak to a social worker at her hospital. The social worker might have any idea of how she can get these medications and might be able to review her health insurance policy to see whether these drugs should be covered. 5) If her insurance is through her employer or her husband's employer, the benefits department of the employer might be able to check whether the prescriptions should be covered under the policy. It doesn't seem right that they are not covered. 6) Another woman with metastatic breast cancer has a blog at
www.assertivepatient.com. She had an entry in January 2009 where she ponders how to pay for Tykerb. Her blog does not include an answer, but it might be worth contacting her to see if she figured it out.
Hopefully, someone else will come along with better ideas. I just saw Bill's post, and, as he points out, her onc's office should help find out why the coverage was denied.
Good luck!
Jill