Epress.am News from Armenia
MamaSyu charitable foundation is searching for organizations and individuals who are willing to lend a hand and support women in Armenia living with breast cancer.
This news was conveyed at a press conference in Yerevan today by representatives from the foundation. According to the statistics they presented, every 13th woman in Armenia is diagnosed with breast cancer, 30% of whom are prescribed the expensive drug Herceptin. Each ampule of Herceptin costs $3,000 US and a single treatment can include 18 rounds, which amounts to $54,000 US. To top it all off, the drug is neither paid for nor subsidized by the state.
Present at the press conference today was Hoffman-La Roche Ltd. representation in Armenia Country Manager Bagrat Lalayan, who said that their company can provide every 4th ampule of Herceptin to patients for free.
National Oncology Center Department of Mammalogy Dr. Artur Avetisyan, speaking on the numbers, said, “Each year, 500–600 women die of breast cancer. This disease is growing in Armenia, while declining in developed countries. The first reason for the growth of the disease is contacting your doctor late, while the second reason depends on the quality of the treatment.”
MamaSyu founder Suzy Sepetchyan, whose mother is diagnosed with breast cancer and needs to come up with the $54,000 to cover the treatment, regretfully noted that it’s beyond the resources of the Armenian state to ensure such expensive treatment is accessible for its citizens; however, at the same time, the public is responding to their call and many people are helping them within their means.
Sepetchyan stressed the importance of working with the media so that many more people are aware of their campaign.
To conclude, Lalayan noted that they are planning on organizing a contest which will award a prize to the journalist who covers the issue the best.