4 February 2024 - The Cancer Society says it is great to see the new government invest in cancer drugs, but it also needs to ensure the drug buying agency acts more quickly to save lives.

Sunday marks World Cancer Day. Cancer Society chief executive Rachael Hart said National's promise to pay for 13 cancer treatments should make a difference, but PHARMAC's processes also need to be overhauled.

"It's great to have investment in cancer drugs as New Zealand is behind, but it's not the end of the story. PHARMAC processes are really slow compared to other countries - on average, to assess a cancer drug, it takes 860 days, more than a year longer than Australia.

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