Tykerb/Xeloda in England

[Daisypink]

Hi Brenda

thanks for the reply.. in answer to your question about health care treatments over here.. well we have the NHS and i have been able to have all my treatment through this and funded by them. I have been very lucky in that respect. It is a postcode lottery over here though when it comes to access to drugs.. our NHS leaves decisions about paying for drugs to each areas primary care trusts and some unfortunately will not pay for some drugs - all down to cost and how much debt each trust is in.. very wrong i know but that is how it is.. we also have to wait for NICE (national institute for clinical excellence) approval on drugs before the NHS makes them available, as it stands over here - tykerb isn't licenced so i am have access to it through a clinical trial. We had huge media interest over here when Herceptin was licenced for early breast cancer as the NHS would not fund it and there were a hell of a lot of ladies who desparately needed this drug and couldnt get it. I would guess it will go the same way when Tykerb goes to licence.

I dont have private insurance so i cant really comment on whether treatment is better, i do have a friend who does and she has had the same treatment/drugs as me the only difference made is she gets appointments faster and goes to a private hospital where obviously the surroundings are a lot nicer. We have the same Oncologist. I know certain scans she has to have are not funded by her insurance. As to whether your friend would of got better treatment.. i dont know..

In my experience so far.. i think it all depends on where your being treated over here and the individual oncologist.. i am very fortunate to have an excellent one who has access to all the latest treatments and his specialist subject is breast cancer..

Hope this helps in your query.. i'm sure any others who might be reading this over here in England might be able to share there experiences..

Hope your well

Love jakki
xxxx

[hutchibk]

Thanks Jakki - Like I said, I like to know how it works in other countries. Alot of people complain about our system in the US, and I know it is not perfect, but I feel fortunate to have the care and access to drugs that I have.