Stomach (gastric) cancer
Herceptin®
(trastuzumab)
Pronounced Her-cep-tin
Herceptin, also known as trastuzumab, has a number of medical uses and is registered by Medsafe for the treatment of patients with advanced stomach cancer.
How Herceptin works
Herceptin is an anti-cancer agent that works for people with advanced stomach cancer with high levels of the HER2 protein (HER2-positive).
Your doctor will test your cancer to find out whether you have this type of stomach cancer.
Herceptin works by attaching to the HER2 proteins on the surface of the cancer cells, which helps to stop the cancer cells from dividing and growing.

Clinical trial data
The effectiveness of Herceptin in the treatment of people with advanced HER2-positive stomach cancer has been studied in clinical trials.
One of these studies showed that patients who were given Herceptin lived longer than patients who received chemotherapy alone.
Remember, the results will not be the same for everyone. All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not.
For further information on Herceptin for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer, including side effects download the Herceptin Consumer Medicine Information here.
Ask your doctor for more information on the clinical trial results, and if Herceptin is right for you.
How to access Herceptin

Herceptin is not publicly funded by PHARMAC for the treatment of advanced stomach cancer. Therefore, you will need to access it at a private treatment centre, and you will need to fund the cost of treatment yourself. If you have health insurance, carefully check what is covered – every health insurance provider has different rules and benefits that cover cancer treatment, surgery, tests and appointments.
Roche has a Cost Share Programme to help with the cost of Herceptin. This programme is designed to help reduce the cost of medicine and caps the number of treatment cycles.
Ask your doctor if Herceptin is right for you and for details of the Cost Share Programme. You can also discuss getting a referral to a private treatment centre.
Ready to take the next step
All treatments need to be considered in line with your individual situation, and your doctor will determine whether Herceptin is the right treatment for you.
Talking to your doctor about Herceptin
We’ve put together a discussion guide to help you begin a conversation with your doctor about Herceptin. Print it off, take it along to your next appointment, and take notes in the spaces provided.
For further information about private treatment providers click here.
You can also talk to your current doctor about referral to a private doctor or treatment centre.
To learn more about how medicines become available in New Zealand, click here.
Handy resources
