Cancer woman sells house for drug

The drug is already used for advanced cancer

A breast cancer sufferer said she was forced to sell her home to pay for the life-saving drug Herceptin in India.

Linda Vijeh, from Ilminster, Somerset, said she was "furious" she had been forced to fly abroad to get the drug.

Herceptin is only available in the UK once cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

The 50-year-old freelance catering consultant underwent surgery at a private clinic in Pune recently after "losing faith" in the NHS.

Second property

Ms Vijeh, who has already spent £18,000 on a credit card to fund her trip, now faces a bill of up to £20,000 to buy the drug in India and bring it home.

She has now placed her £125,000 three-bedroomed house in Crewkerne, Somerset, up for sale and plans to sell a second property to pay for her treatment.

Speaking from India, she said: "I'm furious. I have no other option but to sell my home to pay for both the surgery and the Herceptin.

"Herceptin would give me a 50% chance of survival but I can't get it in England, because it hasn't spread to other parts of my body.

"I knew nothing about where I was going, about the doctors, and what was going to happen to me in India. But I was desperate. I had no other choice."

South West Peninsula Strategic Health Authority said it expected to issue the drug once it was "licensed and approved".

Dr Jim O'Brien, Director of Public Health at the authority, said: "We appreciate that, understandably, some women may be keen to receive Herceptin before it is licensed for use for early breast cancer."

He added that the drug may be supplied early "on the condition that this type of treatment is wholly supported by the patient's clinician".