Fight for Herceptin
Fighting for mate pukupuku (cancer) treatment funding.
Working alongside the Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition, my story brought the issue into the spotlight, gaining a high level of media exposure here plus overseas in the UK and Ireland. This included sole features on TVNZ Close Up, news features on TV1, TV3 and Prime News and extensive radio and print media coverage, with an estimated commercial value of $250,000.
We gained acceptance from healthcare professionals, researchers, providers and officials, as we collaborated and advocated strongly for the therapies to be made available on the public health system.
Our coordinated campaign efforts resulted in the funding being introduced in 2008.
In 2005 the landscape for mate pukupuku (cancer) treatments was changing. Newer targeted therapies were being developed, which were demonstrating significant longer-term survival rates for patients.
Globally, health funders were introducing these new evidence-based therapies as the gold standard of treatment. But they weren’t available in Aotearoa New Zealand.
