Messages flood in for 'Herceptin heroine'

Messages are flooding in for 'Herceptin heroine' Chris Walsh after today's Pharmac decision.

Ms Walsh was diagnosed with HER2 + breast cancer in March 2006 and joined the campaign to fund Herceptin for 12 months.

She said she was getting lots of messages from people today saying they are sorry to hear about the latest development.

"And some of it is being said in a very colourful way," she said.

Ms Walsh said the heroines, as well as other Herceptin campaigners, were "pretty distressed".

"We are a little bit taken back as a group."

But Ms Walsh said she was not taking Pharmac's decision personally, and didn't regret the hard work she had put in to campaigning for 12 months funding of the drug in New Zealand.

"You do wonder about whether they [Pharmac] think that because there is such strong support for this, that if they give in, there'll be a waiting list of other things that they have to deal with.

Ms Walsh said the Herceptin campaign had kept the issue in the public arena and also opened the debate for people thinking about other high cost medicines.

"We've also hopefully supported women who have been in the same situation as we have, and encouraged them to fundraise if they can't fund the drug.

"The New Zealand public are getting used to seeing women fundraising for Herceptin now, it's unprecedented really."  

Ms Walsh said seven women were diagnosed with breast cancer in New Zealand every day, and of those two would be HER2 positive.

"Oncologists are going to be continue counselling women on treatment options and they'll be telling them that 12 months of herceptin is the standard and that's their best chance.

"The issue is not going to go away, so we'll have to keep the pressure on." 

- © Fairfax NZ News