Potential For New And Expanded Myeloma Medicines Positive For Patients, But It’s Not Enough

“We are very pleased Pharmac has today announced
consultation for the supply of lenalidomide and pomalidomide
to treat multiple myeloma cancer,” says Nichola Oakenfull,
Trustee of Myeloma New Zealand.

“Lenalidomide is
already available to myeloma patients who meet particular
treatment criteria. This proposal expands access to more
patients so it is good news. In addition, the prospect of
pomalidomide as a new, funded treatment is also positive, as
it is ten years since a new myeloma medicine has been funded
in New Zealand.”

“Some patients are privately
funding lenalidomide or pomalidomide, including importing
these medicines from overseas. There will be a number of
families around the country keeping their fingers crossed
that this will change soon.”

“We strongly
encourage everyone in the myeloma community to read the
consultation document and provide their feedback. Pharmac
has indicated it is keen to get feedback about the proposal
and how to successfully introduce these medicines, whether
that is the about the information patients require or the
language used to present it.

“While
today’s announcement is exciting, we remain concerned
about how long it takes to get medicines funded in New
Zealand. The application for lenalidomide for first line
treatment was submitted in April 2016; the application for
pomalidomide was submitted even earlier, in November 2015.
We do not understand why it takes so long for New Zealanders
to get access to medicines that are standard of care
overseas and hope the government and Pharmac do everything
in their power to improve on
this”.

“We aren’t just slipping
behind other countries – there is an ocean between us,
literally and figuratively. Even if this proposal goes
ahead, two other critical myeloma treatments, daratumumab
and carfilzomib, will still remain on Pharmac’s Options
for Investment (OFI) list, and there are other treatments
that haven’t even made it onto the OFI.

“The
continuing lack of access to daratumumab is particularly
concerning. The application for this was submitted over six
years ago (in November 2017) and we are aware some clinical
trials cannot be run here because a prerequisite is that
patients have been treated with
daratumumab.”

Myeloma is New Zealand’s second most
common blood cancer and there is a desperate need for modern
and better medicines to be funded for the approximately 3000
myeloma patients. Patients are dying unnecessarily because
they do not have access to treatments which are standard of
care overseas and in private treatment in New Zealand.
Myeloma New Zealand has been running a “Keep Us Living”
campaign for over a year and a half to draw attention to the
pitiful availability of funded medicines to treat this
cancer. Australia currently funds five more medicines than
New Zealand, this proposal will put us four behind –
it’s heartbreaking for patients and families to know we
are so far
behind.

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