Herceptin

[Bryan]

I come back from my Criticial Thinking class with another debate for you all :D

Herceptin is the cancer wonder drug, halfing chances of cancer returning. However it costs £25,000 per person. Just to let you know that £25,000 can buy 20 cataracs operations and immunise 10,000 children from polio.

The question is if you were in charge of your local health trust would you grant women these drugs when they request it?

My group were the only ones to say we wouldnt, 25 grand could be spent to help a lot more people, and if they really want the drug they should pay it for themselves, there are other treatments/cures for cancer, call me heartless but surely 25 grand per person is extreme!? If every woman with breast cancer asked for this drug it couldnt be given to them, there isnt enough money in the NHS!!!!

Your views...? :D

[pookie1968uk]

im sure if i was in the position of needing the drug then i would want it to be available to me but i have to agree with you the NHS just cant fund it for everyone, it is just too expensive.

[Jojo]

I would say no - the NHS is strapped enough for cash as it is, and the number of lives that could be saved by one person not receiving the drug is enormous. Its a difficult one though - as like Pookie said, if I were in the position that I needed, I'm sure as heck I want to have it no matter what - so there is that side to it aswell. Its another one of those drugs that appears in the postcode lottery from the seems of it.

I do believe though, that at the moment, at the cost that it is, it should not be made readily available to all.

[Trinity]

I don't think that it should be available 'on request', however if the DOCTOR recommends it then I think it should be prescribed.

From what I understand it is only suitable for some breast cancers and there would not be thousands of women who require it.

I wonder how much a heart bypass costs - more than £25K I would think....

[Kim]

Well this postcode lottery thing is just an outrage; it's not fair on anyone. Either stop it altogether or let every patient have it that would be sure to die without it. You can't put a price on life.

[annaz]

25K is a lot of money, but what is that compared to the life of a person.

[Behemoth]

I think that if a patient wants Herceptin then they should pay for it themselves as £25k is just too expensive for the NHS to fund it.