Source: Radio New Zealand
Phesgo, which is used to treat HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, is one of five new medicines to be funded by Pharmac from 1 December.
A group of patients with advanced breast cancer will be the first to be able to receive a taxpayer-funded medicine in private hospitals.
So-called “transitional access” has been criticised by opposition politicians as “a subsidy for private insurers”, which already cover the cost of medicines newly funded by Pharmac.
However, Associate Health Minister David Seymour, who has championed the change, said it was about making patients’ lives easier and reducing pressure on the health system.
“Subcutaneous pertuzumab with trastuzumab (Phesgo) will be the first cancer medicine available in private clinics,” he said.
The drug, which is used to treat HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, is one of five new medicines to be funded by Pharmac from 1 December.
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has championed the change. RNZ / Mark Papalii
Cancer patients already being treated with Phesgo in private facilities will now get the drug itself for free, although they will still need to pay infusion costs, if not covered by insurance.
“When Pharmac fund a new cancer treatment, people already paying for that treatment privately are forced to make a very difficult choice: spend their savings to continue private treatment undisrupted, or transfer to a public hospital,” Seymour said.
“Patients told Pharmac the latter was hugely disruptive and caused significant stress during an immensely difficult period.”
From 1 December, Pharmac will also fund:
- Subcutaneous ocrelizumab (Ocrevus SC) for multiple sclerosis
- Faricimab (Vabysmo) for diabetic macular oedema and wet age-related macular degeneration (eye conditions)
- Entrectinib (Rozlytrek) for ROS1-positive non-small cell lung cancer
And fund ongoing access to:
- Bevacizumab (Avastin) for people with eye conditions
Seymour said the new subcutaneous injections were much quicker to administer than current intravenous treatments.
They were expected to save about 7500 hospital infusion hours in the first year, 12,800 by year five, saving the health system $11m over five years.
“This frees up money and health professionals to deliver other treatments. This is exactly what I expect Pharmac to consider.”
Pharmac had also removed the Health New Zealand-only restriction for Faricimab (Vabysmo) to improve access, he said.
“This is another great example of Pharmac listening to consumers. I expect to see more of this.”
At this stage, transitional access funding only applies to newly-funded cancer medicines, although the Minister has previously said he may consider extending it to other funded drugs.
The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, which represents 6500 senior hospital doctors and dentists, said its members working in oncology and haematology had “significant concerns” the change would widen inequities for patients.
The original eligibility criteria for Pharmac – excluding private patients – was designed to ensure public funding for medicines was prioritised for those in the public system assessed by need rather than ability to pay.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
