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Media release: A powerful group of women will be speaking at the Health Select Committee on 13 and 20 March to describe how traumatic it is for them to know that medicines that would give them longer lives aren’t approved for funding in New Zealand.
In an exciting breakthrough, a very important protein has been discovered that predicts whether a breast cancer patient is going to respond successfully to endocrine therapy or chemotherapy.
A tool based on the protein is now being developed, to enable clinicians to make more precise and reliable decisions about treatment.
Health Select Committee hearings underway, in response to public march to Parliament
Media release
Women with terminal breast cancer will be sharing their heartfelt stories with MPs about the dire struggles they face while they wait and hope for important medicines to be funded.
The women will have their voices heard at two meetings of Parliament’s Health Select Committee (HSC) where they will describe why they need the drugs and the impact of not having them on themselves and their families.
A powerful group united for better treatment and medicines access
Metavivors NZ is a private Facebook group where women with advanced breast cancer communicate with each other about how they are doing, and share comfort and information.
Women who stood on the steps of Parliament in October to present petitions to MPs calling for the funding of two important breast cancer medicines have been given a setback by PHARMAC for Christmas.
The petitions called for funding for Ibrance and Kadcyla, and were presented after a march to Parliament by more than 100 women representing Metavivors, a group of women with advanced breast cancer seeking access to vital medicines, and their supporters.
Metavivors have a tremendous opportunity to tell politicians about your experience with breast cancer and your needs.
Parliament’s Health Select Committee is asking to hear from Metavivors to help the committee consider petitions for the medicines Ibrance and Kadycla and a letter calling for a review of PHARMAC.
The petitions and letter were presented to MPs in the Metavivors march to Parliament in October, and the committee is looking at the requests.
The committee has told Ibrance petition organiser Terre Nicholson that anyone can choose to make a written or recorded video submission to the committee. Other options are appearing in person or via videoconference.
Parliament’s Health Select Committee has announced that it has “opened a briefing” on PHARMAC funding and patient access to drugs. The committee says this will allow it to gather information on the wider issue of drug funding, and decide on any further steps.
The announcement follows the presentation by Metavivors Wiki Mulholland and Terre Nicholson of petitions to Parliament calling for funding of two medicines for advanced breast cancer, Ibrance and Kadcyla, and also the presentation by Wiki’s husband Malcolm Mulholland of a formal letter calling for an independent review of PHARMAC.
We had a fabulous opportunity to look back at everything we have achieved this year at our AGM in Auckland recently. A wonderful group of women came together from different parts of the country to share their perspectives and discuss the opportunities ahead.
Our chairperson Libby Burgess gave an update on all that has been achieved by BCAC this year – and it’s a lot. Work has included seeking funding for new medicines, making applications for medicines, meeting decision makers to push for positive change and working to finalise a new 4th edition of BCAC’s Step by Step support pack.
Medicines applications
