Herceptin risks ‘ignored’
Nearly six years after Herceptin was first subsidised for late-stage sufferers, an analysis of all Australian women who have taken it has found an urgent need to review guidelines.
Despite a compelling body of evidence that the drug can increase the risk of cardiac failure, a University of NSW study (published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology) has found that only 3% of those prescribed Herceptin had their heart checked before and during treatment.
“We were all extremely surprised with the results,” said Professor Robyn Ward, who examined data on all 1,469 women who received Herceptin between December 2001 and March 2005.
The study found that some clinicians had ignored the warning labels altogether. Thirty-three women received the drug in combination with a type of chemotherapy known to heighten the risk of heart failure.
In all, 22% of the women received Herceptin “off-label”, or as part of a combined therapy that was not approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
The study also found that, with dosage based on a patient’s weight, more than 3,000 litres — about $21 million of taxpayers’ money — had been wasted because Herceptin was only sold in 150-millilitre vials.
That is nearly a quarter of all Herceptin dispensed over the period.
