Pharmac say they have reached provisional agreements to fund two drugs, branded Keytruda and Tecentriq, for New Zealanders with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
Keytruda is the brand name for pembrolizumab, supplied by Merck Sharp & Dohme, and Tecentriq is atezolizumab as sold by Roche.
This comes as Pharmac announced yesterday they will fully fund EpiPen adrenaline auto injectors for those at risk of serious allergic reactions, acknowledging a high rate of positive responses on its consultation.
"Following our budget increase in May 2022 and our RFP seeking bids from suppliers in July, I am thrilled to announce today that we are seeking feedback on our proposal to fund pembrolizumab and atezolizumab," Pharmac's director of operations Lisa Williams said.
"Lung cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in Aotearoa and it is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality, so Pharmac is very pleased to take this step towards funding immunotherapy treatments."
Williams said both medicines are "types of immunotherapy called immune checkpoint inhibitors" for "advanced non-small cell lung cancer".
Pharmac has reached provisional agreements to fund the drugs branded Keytruda and Tecentriq.
Should the proposal go ahead, Keytruda would be funded as a "first-line therapy" for lung cancer patients, either by itself or alongside chemotherapy.
Williams estimates it would treat 420 people in the first year of funding and 650 after three years.
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Tecentriq would be funded for an estimated 300 patients who have already received chemotherapy, but would be expected to decrease to around 20 "as more and more people would receive treatment in the first-line setting with pembrolizumab", Williams said.
Pharmac believes this funding would provide significant benefits to Māori and Pasifika, who are disproportionately affected by advanced lung cancer.
"However, we know that funding these treatments would have a substantial service impact on our already stretched health system," Williams said.
Malcolm Mulholland and Fiona Tolich of Patient Voice Aotearoa have welcomed the news.
On Breakfast this morning, Patient Voice Aotearoa advocate Fiona Tolich described the news as "massive".
"It's very late but it's here," she said. "So we've got to celebrate."
Malcolm Mulholland, also of Patient Voice Aotearoa, added: "When you give Pharmac money, look at what can happen."
The Government has welcomed the move, with Health Minister Andrew Little saying "the medicines budget was not adequately funded by the previous Government. We're now seeing the outcomes of what happens when you invest in health."
The consultation is available on Pharmac's website. If approved, funding for pembrolizumab and atezolizumab would start April 1, 2023.
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