£400,000 spent on herceptin

Health bosses are spending £400,000 on the "wonder drug" herceptin for breast cancer sufferers in Stafford and South Staffordshire this year.

A total of 25 women in the area are currently being treated with the drug, which is thought to dramatically increase the chances of survival for some patients.

Jane Chapman, deputy director of performance at South Staffordshire Primary Care Trust, said all women referred by their consultants for the treatment were receiving the drug.

She said the trust had set aside £400,000 for treatment for women in Stafford and South Staffordshire for the year until next April, the first year the drug has been available.

But she said the trust expected to spend about £800,000 a year on the drug for patients in that area in the future.

Mrs Chapman said: "We are approving herceptin for all patients who meet the criteria. We have not turned any patients down. The trust is funding the treatment for every case where the consultant felt it was appropriate."

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) recommended herceptin for those with early stage HER2-positive breast cancer earlier this year, meaning health trusts face extra costs to treat people who fit that criteria. The drug costs £20,000 per patient per year but is thought to reduce the chances of dying from breast cancer by up to 50 per cent.