Appeal

To the Minister of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation Tatyana Golikova

Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation Elvira Nabiullina

Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Lyubov Sliska

Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Nadezhda Gerasimova

Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Svetlana Zhurova

Chairman of the Committee on Health Protection of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Olga Borzova

Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Women, Family and Children Elena Mizulina

Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Social Policy Valentina Petrenko

I am addressing you as famous politicians and women! The solution to serious issues in the life of the country depends on your position; your opinion is listened to in society. I am sure that the problem I am writing to you about will not leave you indifferent.

I represent the initiative group of the emerging public organization “Movement Against Cancer”. It includes people who have successful experience in dealing with a serious illness - patients, their loved ones, doctors. Each of us wants to help others in trouble.

For myself, I decided that I survived to tell everyone: cancer can be defeated! Modern medicine has effective weapons for this in its arsenal. There are people ready to tell you where to look for information and help.

But it’s not enough to say - go and get treatment! We must be sure that every person in case of illness can count on all the necessary help. Unfortunately, today there is no complete confidence in this.

I was cured of breast cancer in the most severe stage IV of the disease thanks to the unique doctors and technologies used at the Blokhin Russian Cancer Center. By deciding to participate in clinical trials of new drugs, I got a chance to return to a healthy life and family. But are there many such lucky people, especially in the Russian outback?

Cancer is an insidious disease that comes in many forms. According to modern research, approximately a third of all women with breast cancer suffer from its highly aggressive form (with overexpression of the HER-2 factor), which was once identified in me. This type of breast cancer is treated with the help of an innovative drug with targeted action - Herceptin (trastuzumab) and does not respond to standard treatment for other forms. Detecting it requires special testing, which is not always carried out here - not all medical institutions have specially equipped laboratories. Patients who receive only standard treatment with outdated drugs are doomed.

Innovative treatment with Herceptin for highly aggressive forms of breast cancer is expensive. Pay for the annual course of 1.8 million rubles. beyond the capabilities of most women. In developed countries, the state comes to the rescue in such cases.

In Russia, cancer patients for the first time had the opportunity to be treated with effective medications thanks to the DLO program in 2005. Since 2008, a program has been allocated from DLO to finance the purchase of expensive drugs for the treatment of patients with severe chronic diseases. Unfortunately, out of all oncology, only malignant blood diseases are included in this program. Drug provision for cancer patients for all other nosologies, including the highly aggressive form of breast cancer, is carried out according to regional quotas of the program for providing certain categories of citizens with necessary medicines (ONLS).

The funding allocated under the ONLS program is not enough to treat patients with highly aggressive forms of breast cancer with the innovative drug Herceptin. Thus, according to the results of regional procurement auctions under the ONLS program for the first half of 2008, the quantity of Herceptin purchased was sufficient to treat 359 women. However, in the country, 3,425 women have already been officially diagnosed with breast cancer with overexpression of the HER-2 factor. In reality, there are many more such patients. Without innovative treatment with Herceptin, they are doomed.

That is why we consider it necessary to include an eighth disease in the budget drug program - a highly aggressive form of breast cancer with overexpression of the HER-2 factor. There are a limited number of such patients; the disease requires treatment with a single, expensive drug and is not amenable to other forms of therapy. The issue can be resolved as part of the 2009 budget adjustment. For thousands of women, this is their last chance today.

We ask you to speak out in support of our proposal and contribute to the adoption of appropriate decisions at the state level. This will help save thousands of women from imminent death and return them to a full life!

Natalya Shestakova, member of the initiative group “Movement Against Cancer”