Breast cancer drug (Tykerb) placed on PBS (in Australia)

[hermiracles]

Breast cancer drug placed on PBS


April 08, 2008 07:38am
Article from: AAP


THE breast cancer treatment, Tykerb, has been placed on the the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), making it cheaper for women affected by an aggressive form of the disease.

Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon announced today that from May 1, Lapatinib, known commercially as Tykerb, would be subsidised under the scheme's arrangements.
Tykerb had been found to slow the progress of and improve symptoms associated with advanced HER-2 positive breast cancer, Ms Roxon said.
"Without any subsidy, the medicine would cost women between $3500 and $4000 each month," she said.
"Lapatinib will be available to people with HER-2 positive metastatic or advanced breast cancer for whom other treatments have proved ineffective."
The drug is used in treating a particularly aggressive form of disease known as advanced HER-2 positive breast cancer.
"HER-2 positive breast cancer is an aggressive form of cancer that particularly impacts upon younger women," Ms Roxon said.
"Around 87 per cent of patients diagnosed with advanced breast cancer will die from the disease within five years.
"About 2000 Australians are diagnosed with HER-2 positive breast cancer each year.
"HER-2 positive breast cancer is one that has spread to distant parts of the body (metastasised) or which cannot be removed with surgery."
Ms Roxon said breast cancer was the most common cancer in women and affected 14,000 Australians per year.
In 2004, more than 2600 people died from the disease in Australia.
An international study released in 2006 found that Tykerb and the chemotherapy drug Xeloda in combination were effective in women who had failed to react to Herceptin.
The combination slowed down the disease's progression compared to chemotherapy alone and reduced the risk of the cancer spreading to the brain.
The therapy has already been approved for use in the US and overseas analysts have predicted that Tykerb could eventually record annual global sales of about $A4.5 billion.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23504707-29277,00.html
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