Bowel cancer pill

Next month New Zealanders with bowel cancer will have access to a more convenient treatment. Bowel cancer is the second most common cancer among both men and women in New Zealand. Close to 1200 New Zealanders die from the disease each year.

From the first of July, the government drug funding agency PHARMAC will be subsidising a tablet form of chemotherapy treatment for the disease called capecitabine.

PHARMAC medical director Peter Moodie says with the drug in tablet form, more people can be treated, which is a win for both patients and hospitals. Dr Moodie says the treatment programme will cost more than $1.7 million a year.

source : news.yahoo.com