Blood Cancer Medicines Availability Analysis
He tātari i te wāteatanga o ngā rongoā mate pukupuku An analysis of blood cancer medicine availability in Aotearoa New ZealandEvery year approximately 2,800 people are diagnosed with blood cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand. There are currently no methods to prevent or screen for blood cancers. This means cancer medicines as the primary treatment option, along with stem cell transplants. It is important that people with cancer can access the most appropriate treatment, when and where they need it.
For several years, there have been concerns that there were more publicly funded cancer medicines available in Australia, compared to Aotearoa New Zealand. In 2022 we released Understanding the Gap: an analysis of the availability of cancer medicines in Aotearoa to compare the cancer medicines that were available both countries. The 2022 report analysed cancer medicines used to treat solid (tumour) cancers, that met a minimum threshold of clinical benefit, using an internationally recognised tool
We were unable to include blood cancer medicines in the 2022 report as there was no validated tool to assess blood cancer medicines. When a validated tool became available in late 2023, we analysed blood medicines to inform the 2024 report - Te rere o te toto Understanding blood cancer medicines availability in Aotearoa New Zealand. This second report completes the picture of cancer medicines availability between Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
Both the 2024 and 2022 reports are being shared with cancer support organisations, clinicians and key stakeholders across the health system as a useful reference for the health system.
Cancer medicines are an important part of providing quality cancer care, yet they do not exist in isolation. Improving cancer outcomes for New Zealanders requires action across the cancer continuum
You can read the full and a summary version of Te rere o te toto Understanding blood cancer medicines availability in Aotearoa New Zealand below.
Full report
- Te rere o te toto Understanding blood cancer medicines availability in Aotearoa New Zealand (PDF 778KB)
- Te rere o te toto Understanding blood cancer medicines availability in Aotearoa New Zealand (Word 3145KB)
Summary report
- Te rere o te toto Understanding blood cancer medicines availability in Aotearoa New Zealand (PDF 2MB)
- Te rere o te toto Understanding blood cancer medicines availability in Aotearoa New Zealand (Word 2778KB)
You can read the 2022 report on the analysis on medicines for treating solid (tumour) cancers on this webpage.
The diagram below summarises the results in blood medicine availability between Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand on 1 January 2024. The analysis showed that while there are many blood cancer medicines available in both countries, there are more blood cancer medicines available in Australia than in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Since the analysis date of 1 January 2024, four individual blood cancer medicines for six different indications have been funded by Pharmac. This closes the gaps identified to 36 medicine-indication pairs, 9 with a substantial magnitude of clinical benefit. The four funded medicines were:
- Midostaurin for acute myeloid leukaemia with FLT3 mutatio
- Lenalidomide for newly diagnosed mulitple myeloma and for myelodysplastic syndrome with del(15q), low risk or intermediate-1 and red blood cell transfusion dependent
- Pomalidomide for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma third line and a progressive disease after at least one prior therapy
- Pembrolizumab for Relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma.
Since the gap analysis was carried out on 1 January 2024, Pharmac have funded bendamustine for relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. This will be available in New Zealand from 1 November 2024. Bendumustine for this indication is not currently publicly funded in Australia (as at 10 October 2024). Bendumustine was funded under the Government’s $604 million budget boost to Pharmac’s Combined Pharmaceutical Budget (CPB), which you can learn more about on our website.
This 2024 report aims to describe the gaps in blood cancer medicine availability between Australia and Aotearoa using a tool designed to help define the magnitude of clinical benefit associated with those medicines identified as gaps.
The report is not intended to directly influence funding decisions or provide a list of medicines that should be funded.
Decisions about what medicines are to be publicly funded is the remit of Pharmac and importantly involves consideration of health need, costs/savings, and medicine suitability in addition to clinical benefit. You can read more about this process here
The 2022 Report, which described gaps as of 1 July 2021, noted 28 medicine-indication pair gaps for blood cancers.
Since the release of the 2022 report and our assessment of gaps on the 1 January 2024, two of the 28 medicine-indication pairs have since been funded in New Zealand. These were brentuximab vedotin for relapsed or refractory anaplastic large cell lymphoma and for relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (funded on 1 December 2022). The remaining 26 blood cancer medicine-indication pairs were still considered gaps as of 1 January 2024.
The 2024 report found that the number of blood cancer medicine-indication pair gaps had increased to 42. Since our assessment of gaps on the 1 January 2024, six medicine-indication pairs have been funded by Pharmac. This means in October 2024, 36 medicine-indication gaps were identified between Australia and Aotearoa for blood cancer medicines.
Note: The 2022 report detailed the number of medicine-indication pairs for blood cancer but was unable to determine their magnitude of clinical benefit as the tool used was not available for blood cancer medicines. The tool for blood cancers was released in late 2023.
The 2024 report was completed as a continuation of the 2022 report titled ‘Understanding the Gap: an analysis of the availability of cancer medicines in Aotearoa’ to provide information on the magnitude of clinical benefit of identified blood cancer gaps.
We were unable to include the analysis of blood cancer medicines in the 2022 report, as the European Society of Medical Oncology Magnitude of Clinical Benefit (ESMO-MCBS) tool was not validated for blood cancers at that time. In mid-2023, the European Society of Medical Oncology released a validated tool for blood cancers, so we completed the report as intended.
As of October 2024, we do not have plans to repeat this analysis on a regular or ongoing basis.
Funding of cancer medicines is only one component of cancer control. No country can afford to treat its away out of cancer. Given this, investment must span the length of cancer control: from prevention to end of life care. This Government continues to take a whole of system approach to ensure New Zealanders have more consistent, high-quality care.
In June 2024 the Government announced a funding boost of $604 million over four years for Pharmac to fund more medicines on their Options for Investment List. This may result in additional blood cancer medicines being funded depending on their relative priority on the OFI list.
You can read about how the new medicines are being are being implemented under the funding boost on our webpage.
Press release: Thursday 24 October 2024
Te Aho o Te Kahu Cancer Control Agency releases report into availability of blood cancer medicines in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Te Aho o Te Kahu | the Cancer Control Agency has released its final report today analysing the differences between blood cancer medicines funded in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
“It is my hope the report will contribute further to the understanding of the availability of cancer medicines in Aotearoa New Zealand and be a useful reference for those working in the cancer sector, as well as those living with cancer,” the chief executive of Te Aho o Te Kahu | Cancer Control Agency, Rami Rahal said.
For several years, there has been concern that there are more cancer medicines available for those living with cancer in Australia than in Aotearoa New Zealand. The Agency’s report Understanding the Gap: an analysis of the availability of cancer medicines in Aotearoa, was written in 2022, to provide clarity as to the extent of cancer medications funded in Australia compared to Aotearoa New Zealand and the potential impact of these medicine “gaps” in terms of clinical benefit.
Assessing the magnitude of clinical benefit for blood cancer medicines was not possible at the time of the 2022 report. The Agency committed to completing that part of the analysis as soon as the relevant tool became available.
“We are very pleased to now deliver on that commitment and complete this work with the release of Understanding Blood Cancer Medicine Availability in Aotearoa New Zealand,” Rahal said.
“While a number of medicines available in New Zealand are also available in Australia, the report shows there are some gaps,” Rahal said.
‘“We now understand what those gaps are, how many there are and what these gaps might mean for patients.”
The analysis in the 2022 and 2024 reports focused only on the gaps in public funding of cancer medicines in Aotearoa New Zealand versus Australia and the potential magnitude of clinical benefit.