What is the Government’s decision on Herceptin?
The Government has accepted a recommendation from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) to list the drug trastuzumab (Herceptin) on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for the treatment of patients with HER-2 positive early stage breast cancer. The drug was listed on 1 October 2006. It will be used following surgery, commenced initially with adjuvant chemotherapy, and continued for a maximum period of 12 months. Adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer is anti-cancer drug treatment which is given following surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence of the cancer. The Government agreed with the PBAC recommendation that: • Gene amplification testing to determine HER-2 positive status will be required prior to treatment. This will ensure that use of the drug is properly targeted to those able to benefit. • Patients who have a particular vulnerability to heart damage should not receive the drug.
