14 DAY TRIAL // The makers of a drug called Herceptin, used to treat breast cancer in its early stages and said to halve the risk, applied Wednesday for a license.
At the same day, Ann Marie Rogers lost her trial which demanded the funding of Herceptin treatment, as it was not licensed. The drug was previously licensed in 2002 to treat secondary to late-stages of the disease; the recent license claims are based on the fact that the drug proved to be effective also in the early stages of the illness.
The Roche company declared through one of its spokesmen: "We are very pleased to have been able to progress this application so rapidly, and commend the medical community and regulatory authorities worldwide for their close collaboration and continued support."
Even if the results are based on clinical effectiveness, the general discontent is that the drug is ever more expensive and that cost has become an important factor in its development.
Herceptin is not cheap and accessible for everyone; it costs from $36,000 to $47,000 a year. Rogers asked for Herceptin on the basis of her malady but her health service declined because drugs like these are only to be used in exceptional circumstances.
After burrowing around $8,700 to continue her treatment, she hit a dead end; she could not burrow more and could not mortgage her house again so she stopped the treatment.
A previous decision of the court stated that she will be given the drug until the end of March, when her case will be presented to the Court of Appeal.