indian drug for chemo

[tchjoshi]

hi ! there
i m little bit confused. my wife was detected recuurence idc grade III. she has been given advice to take chemo to shrink tumor before surgery. drugs for chemo - docetaxel 120mg inj. + caboplatin 450 mg inj. & neupogen - 30 mio.
the above drugs given were foreign made ( swiss ) but they are too costly for me & cannot afford it. my question is can i go with indian drugs - MFR. CIPLA. ? if i go for indian drug will it make any diff. in treatment? my doc. is insisting for foreign drug? pls help.

thanx in advance.

[bluebutterfly2222]

p.s. If you have not already done so, you might also want to take a look at the post "her2nu" in the "Related Discussions" box just below my reply.

[bluebutterfly2222]

The Herceptin is very important in view of  your wife's HER2+ status, and an aggressive treatment plan is in order due to her significant lymph node involvement, as well as the fact that this is a recurrence.

What questions or doubts do you have about the course of treatment recommended by her oncologist?

You could certainly seek a second opinion if it would help your wife, and you, feel more comfortable...

Best wishes.

[tchjoshi]

MY WIFE WAS DETECTED RECURR IDC GRADE 3. SHE WENT UNDER 3 CYCLES OF DOCETAXEL+CARBOPLATIN BEFORE SURGERY. DONE LUMPECTOMY RT. BREAST. MICROSCOPIC DESCRIPTION:

REPORTS SHOWS NO EVIDENCE OF ANY RESIDUAL DISEASE IN BREAST. 8/20 NODES METASTATIC. ER/PR NEGATIVE. HER2 POSITIVE SCORE 3+.

ADVISED 3 CYCLES OF TAXOL ALONG WITH HERCEPTIN ( TOTAL 6 DOSE OF HERCEPTIN) FOLLOWED BY RADIATION.

R V GOING IN RIGHT DIRECTION OR SHOULD GO FOR SECOND OPINION. PLS. REPLY SOON AS CHEMO IS GOING TO BE STARTED BY 5 0R 6 OF NOV.

[zouzi]

You are right Kat,the prices in the States are exorbitant! If I didn't have insurance the price for a 30 days supply for Arimidex would be 147 Canadian $.... With insurance I only pay $ 37..and even if I didn't have insurance the Government would pay a big part and the cost would be almost the same as if I had insurance..Take care Kat...

[katarina777]

The answer is the price. The difference between something, example, like $6000, and $500 . At least that is my understanding. Obama himself  mentioned when he was running that he would make it possible for doctors and patients to buy medications from other countries, like Canada. In the US, pharmaceutical companies are so powerful, they monopolize Medicine.

[r_g]

In my view, you should understand from the doctor why he/she feels you should go for the drugs made outside India. You will probably find an answer to your question.All the best.

[katarina777]

PS: especially India I would trust because many of the pharmaceutical factories are in India, even the ones we buy here. I would not be all trusting with Mexico, but again, it depends on what it is you are buying, too.

[katarina777]

I think it's fine, and especially if your physician recommends it. You see, we here in the US have these BELIFS about stuff that we are told and that is just assumed to be 'so'. One of them is never to buy drugs from other countries because you cannot trust them. This has especially become a popular fear inducing warning since many of us purchase medications from other countries on the Internet. And yes, of course bad things can happen just like they happen everywhere and to everyone sometimes. but when I have purchased something from like India, not only is the medication much cheaper, and the expense here in the US is just outrageous and not normal, but the medications come individually wrapped directly from the company or factory, and they are not some loose generics that are taken from some big jug and then poured into some bottle. I will know that they are brand name from a well known company like Johnson and Johnson, or Merk, and that there is every side effect listed on the insert, and expiration date, and all that.

I am tired and will stop here, but yes, i think it is totally OK.
Like Arimidex, the stuff here costs almost $400 for a month supply. in canada it's something like $40. I have a dutch doctor friend who lives in the US and he purchases all his medications in Holland and brings them back here.

Hope this helps,

KAT

[SueYoung55]

I would search for help to pay for your wife's treatments rather than choose something that may not be as effective. She is worth everything, yes? Best wishes.

[japdip]

I think unless you are a Physician you would be wise to follow the recommendation of your Oncologist. If the drugs are the exact same formula but only manufactured by a different company then I see no difference but if they are not nationally approved and tested then it's best to go with the Oncologist's recommendation.   Regards .....