“I no longer take care of myself”: the anguish of a retiree with cancer who lost full reimbursement for his medications

Jean-Pierre, who suffers from lung cancer and has been receiving treatment for ten years, is in a critical situation. This septuagenarian who lives in Favières, Lorraine, cannot afford his medication, which costs 600 euros. “I fought against an illness, now I have to fight to cure myself,” summarizes the retiree before the BFMTV microphone.

Last April, when picking up his monthly dose of medication at the pharmacy, the retiree discovered that IRESSA 250 mg, from the AstraZeneca laboratory, only reimbursed him 60%, that is, the price of the generic.

“At 1,390 euros per box, 635 euros remain to be paid,” explain our colleagues at Républicain Lorrain, who point out that the drug in question “is commonly prescribed in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).”

Until then, however, IRESSA had been fully reimbursed by social security, which has left Jean-Pierre in a delicate situation for several months. Because the septuagenarian tried generic medications, made from the same molecule as IRESSA. But none of them suit you, the side effects are too serious. “Impossible to take them,” he says.

Health Minister arrested

Desperate, he calls his deputy and the Astra Zeneca laboratory, which produces the drug. Jean-Pierre also contacts Social Security, which tells him, according to the septuagenarian, that “he has no choice but to pay or contact the laboratory to see if they can give him a price.”

The retiree even tries to contact Aurélien Rousseau, the Minister of Health. “For two months I have not received any treatment,” he wrote in a letter.

Unsuccessfully. “I don’t take care of myself anymore. Since Social Security wants to save money, and will do so, I won’t cost them anything,” he says disappointedly in front of our cameras.

The Public Health Code stipulates that a patient can keep the original medication if they have any contraindications for each of the available generics. But contacted by BFMTV, the National Health Insurance Fund assures that this remedy does not apply in Jean-Pierre’s case, which is without a solution.