Herceptin has been widely
portrayed as a wonder drug.
Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty ImagesThe decision to approve the provision of Herceptin on the NHS as a treatment for early-stage breast cancer has unsurprisingly been widely welcomed. The final guidance on the drug, published today by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice), should mean hundreds more patients in England receive funding for the treatment.
The move follows several high-profile legal battles by women who were refused funding for the drug by their local NHS trusts. The issue attracted massive coverage, with Herceptin hailed as a wonder drug by a largely uncritical media. It was left to the Guardian's Sarah Boseley to instil a sense of perspective into the debate and highlight the reasons why it should not be seen as a miracle cure.
On Guardian Unlimited today we have a Q&A, which sets out the background to Herceptin's approval, plus a feature that raises concern about the possible adverse effects to the already financially stretched NHS of providing such a costly treatment.
