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Jackie Blue MP
National Party Associate Health Spokeswoman
7 August 2008
Herceptin decision: Women let down
“Women with aggressive Her-2 breast cancer have been cruelly let down by the refusal of the Government’s drug-buying agency to extend funding to 12 months of Herceptin,” says National's Associate Health spokeswoman, Jackie Blue.
“The High Court directed review of Pharmac's decision not to fund 12 months was a real chance for Pharmac to reconsider, re-consult, and to take their blinkers off.
“The sheer weight of evidence supporting 12 months is overwhelming.
“Cancer specialist groups and even Pharmac's own cancer specialist committee backed the 12-month course.
“Even Medsafe refused to register the nine-week Herceptin course due to a lack of clinical evidence.”
Dr Blue, a former breast physician, says 33 countries now fund 12 months Herceptin as the standard of care.
“It’s totally incomprehensible that the Government’s drug-buying agency is persisting with this sub-optimal and unproven nine-week course.”
Dr Blue can confirm that a National Government will free up funds to fund the full 12-month Herceptin programme.
“Women with breast cancer need certainty and reassurance that they will have access to the international standard of care that will give them the best chance of beating this disease.”
Inquiries: Jackie Blue (021) 224 1347
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30 July 2008
Herceptin: What’s it going to take?
National Party Leader John Key and Associate Health spokeswoman Jackie Blue are urging the Government to free up money to fund 12 months of Herceptin.
Dr Blue says that as a result of a High Court directive in April, the Pharmac Board is meeting today to review its decision not to fund the drug for 12 months.
“We've always said from the outset that we were concerned that Pharmac's entrenched stance in funding nine weeks only was financial, and not based on best evidence.
“The evidence supporting 12 months is completely sound, while the evidence supporting the shorter programme is weak.
“Our very own Medsafe has even refused to register the short course due to a lack of clinical evidence,” says Dr Blue, a former breast physician.
“For more than two years the Pharmac Board has resolutely ignored the opinions of cancer specialists, including their own cancer specialist committee.
“The irony is that we were first off the block to register 12 months Herceptin in March 2006.
“Instead of progress, New Zealand women have had to watch as one by one, 33 countries now fund the full 12-month Herceptin course.
“Two and a half years later, hundreds of women diagnosed with this aggressive breast cancer have either had no Herceptin or, since July 2007, just nine weeks.
“Sub-optimal or zero treatment means they all face an uncertain future,” says Dr Blue.
“What’s it going to take for this Government to finally fund 12 months of Herceptin?”
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Inquiries: Jackie Blue (021) 224 1347
7th August 07
Young women still missing out on breast screening
National’s Associate Health spokeswoman, Dr Jackie Blue, says the Government’s much-touted extension to the BreastScreen Aotearoa programme is still failing young women.
“It’s a cruel irony that while Health Minister Health Minister Pete Hodgson was this week announcing an ‘ambitious new direction for health’, a key group of women were continuing to miss out on free mammograms.
“Since the eligibility for the breast screening programme was extended three years ago to include women aged 45-49, only one in three of that target group is actually being screened.”
Dr Blue is commenting on information obtained from a parliamentary written question.
“The international target is to screen 70% of all eligible women, but only slightly more than a third of women aged 45-49 are being checked.
“This compares with over 60% of eligible women aged 50 years and over.
“Maori and Pacific Island women fare worse – only 40% over 50 years of age are being screened, and the breast screening programme doesn’t collect the screening numbers for the women aged 45-49 in these ethnic groups.
“I cannot help but draw the conclusion that releasing those statistics would be an embarrassment to the Labour Government.
“While breast cancer is more common later in life, younger women get more aggressive and faster-growing cancers.
“For women aged 45-49, this is a Clayton’s programme.”
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16 April 2007
New breast cancer guidelines –
will it be a case of all Hui and not enough ‘do-ey’?
Labour should hang their heads in shame at the disparate treatment given to women with breast cancer, says National’s Associate Health spokeswoman, Dr Jackie Blue.
Dr Blue, a former breast physician, is commenting on a report that the Ministry of Health is finally beginning to compile guidelines to standardise and improve breast cancer management.
“The Government have had almost eight years to get on top of this but they have arrogantly sat on their hands,” says Dr Blue.
“Since becoming an MP, I make no apology for relentlessly exposing their many failures.
“One of my more serious and recent concerns is the apparent ‘surgery by postcode’, the inconsistent mastectomy practices which were highlighted in a recent survey to DHBs.
“This is on the back of repeated concerns over the last 18 months regarding:
- The poor forward planning of radiotherapy services, based on thirteen year old data that has seen the number of functioning linear accelerators increase by only one and radiation technicians look for work overseas.
- The countless women who have had to be sent to Australia for radiotherapy.
- The abject failure to recruit younger women and in particular Maori women into BreastScreen Aotearoa. For them it continues to be a Clayton’s programme.
- The unceremonious dumping of women off breast cancer reconstruction waiting lists.
- The dubious ethics of funding an unproven short course of Herceptin aided by Pete Hodgson’s misleading use of statistics.
- Deficiencies in the breast cancer workforce that have resulted in pressure points all along the breast cancer care pathway.
“Here’s hoping for the sake of New Zealand women that the promised breast cancer guidelines are going to be timely and thorough.
“Kiwis are heartedly sick of Labour’s knee-jerk reactions, which normally consists of forming a committee, almost always guaranteeing that nothing happens.
“The much awaited prostate cancer guidelines update on the Ministry’s website is a point in case. Promised in December 2005, we are still waiting.”
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Inquiries: Jackie Blue 021 224 1347
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