IT is being described as the miracle drug. Jamaicans who are suffering from an aggressive type of breast cancer are now breathing a sigh of relief, thanks to the introduction of a new drug that medical experts say is more effective and cheaper than previous drugs.

The drug, Herceptin SC (subcutaneous herceptin) was designed to treat HER2-positive — a breast cancer that tests positive for a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) — which promotes the growth of cancer cells.

The drug will not only be accessible to cancer patients in Jamaica, but patients will also be able to access the drug at a lower cost than the previous treatment.

According to the executive director of the Jamaica Cancer Society (JCS) Yulit Gordon said the previous drug used to treat the cancer cost $260,000 per dose with the average woman needing 17 to 18 doses.

However, with Herceptin SC, developed and distributed by Roche Pharmaceuticals Division, patients can look forward to a less invasive and expensive treatment.

She said that the new drug has renewed the hope of the JCS.

According to Gordon, the cancer society has been troubled by the ripple

effects of cancer on the emotional state of families, relationships, time, and more so on their wallets.

Gordon said that having assessed the Jamaican situation, many families are either unable to pay for treatment, or struggle to keep family members alive because they can barely find the fees.

But Gordon said that the benefits of this new drug are not limited to the finances.

“Unlike the previous version of the product, which requires administration via infusion through a vein over as much as 90 minutes, the new SC (subcutaneous) version is administered by injection under the skin over five minutes. This will cause greater convenience for patients, with reduced impact on their daily lives and fewer negative consequences on productivity through time lost in treatment and away from work” Gordon said

She listed other benefits of using the drugs to include improved efficiency within hospitals through reductions in ‘time’ and ‘other resources’ consumed per patient treated, and that the most vulnerable breast cancer patients can now have access to the drug from specific public hospitals.

But Gordon said that while this new drug will result in a reduction in the financial demands for patients with the more aggressive form of breast cancer, the Jamaica Cancer Society is still very concerned about the costs associated with caring for patients with other types of cancers.

Gordon said that it is her dream that the introduction of this new drug, and the benefits which accompany it, is only the beginning of many more offerings of this kind.

In the meantime, she said JCS is urging members of the society to play their part by lending their support to cancer patients and their families whose lives have been shattered by the deadly disease.

A recent study conducted by the Trinidad & Tobago-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) has placed cancer as the second leading cause of death in the Caribbean — with breast cancer being the most common among women in Jamaica.