新西兰英语 47 The Drug Herceptin

　　There has been a great deal of discussion and controversy¹ about funding the drug Herceptin for women suffering from breast cancer. It is a very expensive drug made by the Roche company. Pharmac is the organisation² which buys drugs and provides them free or at low cost for New Zealanders. It is an independent organisation; the government cannot tell it what to do.
Pharmac funds Herceptin for 9 weeks while 33 other countries fund it for 12 months. It would cost Pharmac around $15 million a year to fund this drug for 12 months for the women who need it. District Health Boards said this was the right decision as this money is needed for other drugs. Pharmac said their decision is not about the cost although they also say it is their duty to make sure their money is well spent. They say too that Herceptin is not a wonder drug. There can also be side effects by causing heart problems. Pharmac has looked at the science and they say that right now, there is not enough evidence to show that 12 months of Herceptin has better results than 9 weeks. Even Roche, the makers³ of this drug, say that they don’t really know how long it should be used for.
Not all women with breast cancer need this drug. It is only one kind of breast cancer, affecting around 350 women. Some of these women are trying to raise money to pay for private treatment, which could cost them between $50,000 and $90,000, depending on where they live. Auckland is the most expensive.
A group calling themselves the ‘Herceptin Heroines’ sent in 300 submissions⁴ to Pharmac about the need for 12 months funding. Pharmac also talked to a lot of these women. The chairman of Pharmac said that it was a very hard decision to fund only 9 weeks and they all felt sympathy for the women with this disease.

1 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

2 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

3 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 submissions   

n.提交( submission的名词复数 )；屈从；归顺；向法官或陪审团提出的意见或论据

参考例句：

• The deadline for submissions to the competition will be Easter 1994. 递交参赛申请的截止时间为1994年的复活节。 来自辞典例句
• Section 556(d) allows the agency to substitute written submissions for oral direct testimony in rulemaking. 第五百五十六条第（四）款准允行政机关在规则制定中用书面提交材料替代口头的直接证言。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法