In June 2024 the Government announced an unprecedented $604 million funding boost to Pharmac’s Combined Pharmaceutical Budget (CPB) over four years to increase cancer medicine availability. For the first time an additional $38 million was allocated for delivery of the new medicines in the first year. Additional budget may be released in future years if required.
The Increasing Access to Medicines Programme is a collaboration between Health New Zealand and Te Aho o Te Kahu, with support from the Ministry of Health and Pharmac. Our aim is to ensure that the newly funded cancer treatments, and the cancer care that people are currently receiving in the public health system, are successfully delivered in a well-functioning, equitable and responsive cancer service. We are also embedding future focused models of care that are more sustainable, resilient and responsive to local needs and that provide care closer to home.
Pharmac estimated that the additional $604m of funding would cover approximately:
26 cancer medicines for several cancers, including thyroid, bowel, breast, bladder, lung, head and neck, prostate, liver, ovarian, kidney and four different blood cancers. This includes treatments for all cancer types covered by the list of 13 cancer medicines proposed previously, and others not previously included (blood cancers).
28 other medicines for a wide range of conditions including infections, respiratory conditions, osteoporosis, sexual health, dermatology, inflammatory conditions, and mental health.
The first two cancer medicines to be funded are:
- Pembrolizumab (branded as Keytruda) will be funded from 1 October for eligible people with advanced triple-negative breast cancer, head and neck cancer, colorectal cancer, bladder cancer, and Hodgkin lymphoma.
- Nivolumab (branded as Opdivo) will be funded from 1 November for eligible people with kidney cancer.
Pharmac has also approved funding for widened access to the medicines posaconazole and voriconazole from 1 October for people at high risk of invasive fungal infections, such as people undergoing cancer treatment or organ transplants.
More information about these medicines is available on Pharmac’s website.
Which other medicines will be funded and when?
Pharmac is not able to name all the specific medicines that will be funded with the additional $604 million budget until the internal procurement process has been completed.
Before announcing a new medicine is going to be funded, Pharmac goes through a robust and fair process to identify which medicine is the next priority for funding. It then negotiates funding and supply terms with relevant medicine suppliers and publicly consults on the funding proposal. This is where people living with health conditions, health professionals, and the wider public are invited to provide feedback about the funding proposal, including any proposed funding criteria.
The latest updates on which cancer and non-cancer medicines are being considered for funding, or have been funded, under the budget increase is on the Pharmac website.
On Tuesday, we, along with Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora, the Ministry of Health and Pharmac put out a joint statement on the rollout of the frist medicines that are being made avaialbe across the public health system. You can read the full release here.
Our Tumuaki (Chief Executive) Rami Rahal was interviewed on Radio New Zealand that morning which you can listen to on the Radio New Zealand website.