As a non-profit organization that defends the interests of cancer patients, support the statements of the Medical College (OMC), the Federation of Medical Scientific Spanish (FACME), Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM) and other and broadcasting organizations that:

Cancer patients consider it essential that access to cancer drugs is the same for patients in all the Autonomous Communities. All that goes against equality, against the principle of equality set out in the Health Act.

As patients and active users of cancer treatments health authorities requested that in any case, are the professionals that serve those who decide what treatment is best for us. We are concerned that this decision rests with a health manager and not the doctors, because we understand that they are not trained to do so and in their economic decisions take precedence over scientific criteria.

Establish therapeutic equivalence would reduce the range of treatment options for the same indication regardless as patients who have specific and particular characteristics and can tolerate a molecule to another. Typically, and depending on each individual, is the professional who proposes the options available, directing the choice for the best possible quality of life, reduced toxicity and minimal side effects. The therapeutic equivalence could pose a limit for that choice, clearly impacting our quality of life.

Cancer patients are aware that the current economic crisis requires measures to ensure the sustainability of the National Health System in time. While we believe that such proposals involve not only effective saving solution medium - long term, but also generate social perception guarantees breaking the system.

We believe that innovation in oncology is perfectly compatible with the rationalization of health expenditure, and as patients are willing to share our experience, concerns, needs and concerns and establish an open dialogue to reach consensus saving measures.

Also, we want to transfer to the health authorities, both regional and national, our absolute rejection to approach that is raised by these proposals and measures that make us feel like a plague patients for State Budget. Here we report that:
We have chosen to have cancer, so we asked to stop economically and socially penalize us for it.

We pay our taxes, so we are entitled to receive medical care we need.
According to a study by the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM) that have not been made public but we know the data [1] through its President, Dr. Juan Jesús Cruz oncology represents 4.8% of health expenditure and pharmaceutical expenditure within, only 6.6% of the total corresponds to cancer drugs, so we demand you stop pointing to cancer patients as a cause of the collapse of health spending.

Just as we express our concern at the proposal to establish therapeutic equivalents, we reiterate our desire to be part of the decisions on this and other initiatives that directly affect us and in which to date has not received our opinion. Professionals are not only non-profit institutions, but as patients we are, we know first hand the reality of cancer patients.

Spanish Group of Patients with Cancer (GEPAC

 

Picture  By ernes ([1]) [see page for license], via Wikimedia Commons