“We are very pleased by the government’s announcement today of an increase in funding for Pharmac,” says Barbara Horne,
Chair of Myeloma New Zealand. “This increase in funding is desperately needed given how relatively little New Zealand
spends on medicines”.
“Myeloma is our second most common blood cancer. Despite many treatments being available overseas, it’s been ten years
since we have had a new myeloma medicine funded in New Zealand. We hope the funding decision will lead to treatments
like daratumumab and carfilzomib being funded. Applications for these treatments have been with Pharmac since November
2017 and August 2018 respectively, and patients are dying because they cannot access them”.
“We are very concerned the lack of Pharmac-funded treatments is impacting on Medsafe approved treatments. Despite the
large number of myeloma treatments available overseas, only two other myeloma treatments are Medsafe approved in NZ. We
put that down to Pharmac being a disincentive. Pharmaceutical companies are required go through a costly approval
process only for the medicine to be unlikely to be funded by Pharmac, who seem to prefer to wait years for medicines to
go off patent before it will fund them. The impact for patients is that even those who seek private treatment, including
using medical insurance, are limited by what is registered with Medsafe”.
“Myeloma is a relapsing remitting disease. It will come back. When it does, patients need a new treatment or they will
die. Overseas a number of treatments are available, yet in New Zealand we have few treatments - and those we have are
outdated. We desperately need more treatments in New Zealand – these could make myeloma more like the chronic disease
that it is in many other countries.”
“Myeloma is New Zealand’s second most common blood cancer and there is a desperate need for modern and better medicines
to be funded for the approximately 3000 myeloma patients. Patients are dying unnecessarily because they do not have
access to treatments that are standard of care overseas and in private treatment in New Zealand. Myeloma New Zealand has
been running our “Keep Us Living” campaign for almost two years to draw attention to the pitiful availability of funded
medicines to treat this cancer. Australia already funds five more medicines than New Zealand – it’s heartbreaking for
patients and families to know we are so far behind”.