Pharmac – Te Pātaka Whaioranga is looking to increase
access to five medicines for a number of cancers, including
kidney and lung cancers, and other health
conditions.
“We’re looking to widen access to
chemotherapy and a type of targeted cancer treatment for
people who don’t currently have any other treatment
options available,” says Geraldine MacGibbon, Pharmac
Director, Pharmaceuticals.
“We’re also proposing
to fund lanreotide for the first time for people with
neuroendocrine cancer, cancer related bowel obstruction, and
a growth disorder called acromegaly. Lanreotide is easier to
administer than other funded treatments.”
The
proposal includes:
- funding lanreotide acetate for
various health conditions (including a type of
cancer) - widening access to sunitinib, a targeted
cancer medicine, for renal cell carcinoma (kidney
cancer) - updating the eligibility criteria for
pazopanib, a targeted cancer medicine, for people who cannot
tolerate sunitinib - widening access to bendamustine,
a chemotherapy, for relapsed or recurrent chronic
lymphocytic leukaemia (blood cancer) - removing the
prescription restrictions on pemetrexed, a chemotherapy, so
it could be used for any condition.
“Looking
at what we already fund and making improvements based on
clinical advice we’ve received is an important part of our
role to get the best health outcomes for New Zealanders,”
says MacGibbon.
Consultation on Pharmac’s funding
proposal for these medicines is now open and will close 9am
Monday 29 July.
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Following public consultation, Pharmac
will consider and make a decision on the funding proposal.
If approved, changes for bendamustine and pemetrexed would
take effect from 1 November 2024. The dates for availability
of lanreotide and changes to eligibility for sunitinib and
pazopanib is still to be confirmed.
The medicines in
this proposal were included in Pharmac’s annual
multiproduct tender last year. This is the competitive
process where pharmaceutical companies bid to supply
medicines to New Zealand.
The Government announced
additional funding for Pharmac in June to cover medicines
for both cancer and non-cancer health conditions.
Proposal
to fund lanreotide acetate for various indications and widen
access to four cancer
treatments
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