Cancer drug trial decision ‘bizarre’

A DECISION by two Dublin hospitals to postpone a cancer drug trial because patients were being asked to use contraception has been described as “unacceptable” and “bizarre” by the opposition.

Labour party spokeswoman on health, Deputy Liz McManus, said she could not accept the position taken by the Mater and St Vincent’s Hospitals as these hospitals were funded by the State and not by religious organisations.

She accused them of “denying women access to anti-cancer treatments on the basis of denominational restrictions” and said the hospitals’ ethics committees were “placing a veto on women’s health”.

The hospitals had said that they were deferring a decision on the radical new treatments, as encouraging contraception was at odds with their religious ethos.

Tarceva, a new generation targeted anti-cancer treatment, is being tested in hospitals across the world by Roche Pharmaceuticals.

It was manufactured to have lower toxicity than traditional chemotherapy.

According to doctors, contraception is recommended as any experimental cancer treatment could have a potentially fatal effect on an unborn child.

Consultant oncologist at St Vincent’s, Dr John Crown, yesterday described the hospitals’ attitude as “sectarian” and vowed to continue with the trials. He said steps were being taken to bypass the ethics committee.

Under new European drug trial rules, doctors can avoid ethics committees in hospitals with a strong religious connection in favour of others with less opposition.

St Vincent’s and the Mater are the only two hospitals where such opposition is known to have emerged, while other trials are under way at Beaumont and Tallaght hospitals in Dublin.

The trials were sanctioned by the Irish Medicines Board last May. Hospitals asked to participate in the trial had 60 days to make a decision on the trials but the Mater and St Vincent’s missed this deadline.

Medical ethics lecturer Dr Simon Mills yesterday described the incident as “an unfortunate clash of cultures” where “secular beliefs meet with strong religious beliefs”.

The two hospitals were not available for comment.