New asbestos drug ‘unaffordable’

The Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia says the release in Australia of the first drug to effectively treat mesothelioma is meaningless for most sufferers.

Doctors says the medication, Pemetrexed, does not cure the condition but can reduce pain and symptoms in patients with the disease.The Asbestos Society’s Rosemary Vojakovic says that without a pharmaceutical benefits subsidy, only the rich can afford the drug.”They have cycles of treatment and we’re talking about maybe $2,000 for a cycle so it could be costing them thousands of dollars a month or more,” she said.(Source: ABC Aust news, Oct 2004)