First Targeted Therapy For Bowel Cancer Funded In New Zealand From Today: ERBITUX® (cetuximab)

New Zealanders living with a specific type of advanced bowel cancer will be able to access a globally-recognised standard of care treatment, ERBITUX®(cetuximab)[1], that from today is listed on the Pharmaceutical Scheme.

Provided by science and technology company Merck Healthcare, the listing of ERBITUX® is estimated to help around 380 New Zealanders living with left-sided RAS wild-type and BRAF wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) in its first year of funding[2].

Managing Director of Merck Healthcare Australia and New Zealand, Josie Downey, says today’s listing of ERBITUX® - a targeted therapy that prevents the growth and further spread of cancer - is due to the hard work of many.

“We’re grateful for the relentless support of the clinician and patient community and are humbled to be able to make a meaningful difference to the lives of more people – both those living with metastatic colorectal cancer and all the people that wrap care around them.

“We have been humbled by the patient response, we hear there are many patients booked in from today to start their treatment journey with this targeted option which is now publicly funded,” she says.

Auckland-based Medical Oncologist, Ben Lawrence (MBChB, MSc, FRACP), says today’s listing is an important milestone and a huge relief for people living with this subset of bowel cancer.

“People with this subset of bowel cancer have been hoping for today’s listing for some time, and those already self-funding this targeted treatment will also be highly relieved” he said.

“Funded access to this treatment for people with this very specific type of advanced bowel cancer will give them more time. This is a step forward to improve patient outcomes,” he added.

“A positive thing is that we test a specific biomarker to identify which patients can benefit from this targeted therapy – by doing a gene test on a small sample of the cancer. This approach is an important part of modern cancer care – it picks the people who can benefit from the drug, and saves people who cannot benefit receiving it unnecessarily”, he said.

Metastatic colorectal cancer is a specific cancer of the colon or large intestine and rectum that has spread to other parts of the body. ERBITUX® can be used to treat mCRC patients that have a protein on their cell surface called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), with or without chemotherapy. Administered via infusion, ERBITUX is an advanced medicine designed to selectively target cancer cells and stunt the mechanisms that encourage their growth.

People are encouraged to speak with their oncologist as a first port of call to get more information and discuss whether this treatment is right for them. For more information on ERBITUX® and to check eligibility visit https://bit.ly/3BH107T.

As of the latest available data, there are approximately 3,515 new cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed annually in New Zealand, making it the second most common cancer in the country. Those number of patients who are known to have the specific left-sided RAS wild-type mCRC that ERBITUX ® targets, is estimated to be around 380 people[3].

[1]10 October: https://pharmac.govt.nz/news-and-resources/consultations-and-decisions/decision-to-widen-access-to-cetuximab-bendamustine-and-pemetrexed

[2] https://pharmac.govt.nz/news-and-resources/consultations-and-decisions/proposal-to-widen-access-to-cetuximab-for-bowel-cancer

[3] https://pharmac.govt.nz/news-and-resources/consultations-and-decisions/proposal-to-widen-access-to-cetuximab-for-bowel-cancer

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