Posted by Michael Wonder on 08 Oct 2019
Cancer patients to benefit from new PHARMAC funded drugs
8 October 2019 - Cancer patient advocates are welcoming PHARMAC's decision to pay for two new drugs but say New Zealand is still way behind the rest of the world in access to life-saving medicine.
From December, the government's drug-buying agency will fund Kadcyla for some breast cancer patients, and Alecensa for lung cancer.
Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition chair Dr Libby Burgess said PHARMAC listened to input during consultation, broadening criteria and lifting restrictions.
She told Morning Report about six percent of breast cancer patients would benefit from two other drugs, and there needed to be more money set aside to treat a range of illnesses.
