An East Sussex woman is angry the NHS will not treat her with the breast cancer drug Herceptin even though it has now been officially approved.
Susie Flux, 55, from Eastbourne, is paying for her own £30,000 treatment.
She has been told she cannot have Herceptin on the NHS because she did not begin treatment within six months of her chemotherapy, as recommended.
Eastbourne Downs Primary Care Trust (PCT) said the drug was not suitable for all breast cancer patients.
Mrs Flux, who has two daughters and two grandchildren, was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2004.
She finished chemotherapy in March 2005 and radiotherapy in July 2005, but says she was not told about Herceptin.
“They like you to start Herceptin within six months of finishing your chemotherapy,” she said.
“But the NHS didn’t tell me about it – nobody told me.
“By the time I did my own research and found out about it I was outside that time band.”
Her oncologist prescribed the drug and she hoped that, after it was approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in June, she would qualify for NHS treatment.
“I am not expecting a refund for the payments I have already made,” she said.
“But now that it is an NHS drug it is galling that other people will get it free but I have to continue to pay.”
Eastbourne Downs PCT said it was currently funding Herceptin for 19 patients.
“There is no evidence that Herceptin is effective if offered to patients six months after chemotherapy,” it said.
“Unfortunately, a clinical referral for Mrs Flux was not made within this time frame and hence the decision was made that Herceptin would not be of full benefit to her.”
