Newly Funded Medicine To Benefit 110 More People With Thyroid, Liver, And Kidney Cancer

Pharmac has decided to fund lenvatinib from 1 December
2024 for people with some types of thyroid, liver, and
kidney cancer.

Lenvatinib (branded as Lenvima) stops
the number of cancer cells from increasing, slowing the
cancer’s progression. The medicine is taken as oral
capsule that people can take at home.

“We know how
important cancer medicines are to people’s lives, so
we’re really pleased to provide more treatment options for
people with these types of cancer,” says Dr David Hughes,
Pharmac’s Chief Medical
Officer.

Lenvatinib will be the first
targeted treatment for people with a specific types and
stages of thyroid and liver cancer. Previously these people
have only received supportive care that provides comfort and
relief from their symptoms.

“Funding
lenvatinib will give some people with thyroid and liver
cancer a treatment option they haven’t had before. It will
give them the chance to have a better quality of life and
live longer,” says Hughes.

People with kidney cancer
that has spread will also be eligible to receive lenvatinib,
that will be taken with another medicine called everolimus.
It will be used as a second treatment option. Alternatively,
they can use nivolumab which we funded from 1 November
2024.

Hughes says feedback on the public consultation
helped Pharmac make small changes to the final eligibility
criteria for kidney and thyroid cancer to make sure the
right people can access treatment.

“People with
kidney cancer experiencing severe side effects with
nivolumab will be able to move to lenvatinib with everolimus
so they can continue to receive treatment. We’ve also
updated how we describe the eligibility criteria for thyroid
cancer so it’s easier for clinicians to understand who the
treatment is funded for.”

This funding decision is
part of a package of additional funding allocated by the
Government in June 2024. As of today, Pharmac has made
decisions to fund 26 medicines for specific cancer and
non-cancer health
conditions.

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