Herceptin trial shows 9 weeks as good as a year

A medical trial has shown Pharmac was right when it made a controversial decision to fund the breast cancer drug Herceptin for just nine weeks of treatment. The former National government overturned the decision in 2008 and agreed to fund patients for a full year of treatment. The results of a trial involving New Zealand women is being published in the United States - it shows nine weeks of treatment is almost as good as a full year. Pharmac says current funding of a year of Herceptin for eligible women is unlikely to change, but it may be considered.