Cancer and other medicines: Track our progress to funding
Following the budget injection from the Government, we're moving fast to fund the medicines on our Options for Investment list.
This page lists the funding applications we have been able to progress because of the 2024 budget increase.
We will add applications to this page as they reach consultation stage. We cannot give information on which applications are coming next. We need to maintain secrecy while we are negotiating with pharmaceutical companies.
You can check our complete options for investment list(external link), which has every application that we would like to fund.
Cancer treatments
We want to fund it for:
Second-line treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma (if the cancer has progressed after initial treatment).
We expect about 120 people would start this treatment in the first year of funding.
Renal cell carcinoma is the most common type of kidney cancer and is more common in men. There are no targeted treatment options funded in New Zealand if the current treatment options, sunitinib or pazopanib stop working.
Current stage: Consultation
Consultation closes: 26 July 2024
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. After the We aim for the Pharmac Board to consider our proposal at their [Month meeting]. If the Board approves the proposal, we plan to list nivolumab for this indication on 1 November 2024.
More information
Media release: Pharmac opens first consultation for cancer medicines after funding boost
Application Tracker | Nivolumab for advanced renal cell carcinoma(external link)
We want to fund it for:
Advanced triple-negative breast cancer.
We expect about 30 people would start this treatment in the first year of funding.
Breast cancer affects 1 in 9 people over their lifetime and up to 20% have triple negative breast cancer. Māori and Pacific people are more likely to experience worse outcomes from breast cancer compared to other ethnicities. Chemotherapy can be effective in treating this cancer, but often people need more types of treatment.
Current stage: Consultation
Consultation closes: 26 July 2024
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. We aim for the Pharmac Board to consider our proposal at their [Month meeting]. If the Board approves the proposal, we plan to list pembrolizumab for this indication on 1 October 2024.
More information
Media release: Pharmac opens first consultation for cancer medicines after funding boost
Application Tracker | Pembrolizumab for advanced triple-negative breast cancer(external link)
We want to fund it for:
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
We expect about 80 people would start this treatment in the first year of funding.
People with this specific type of head and neck cancer don’t currently have many effective treatment options.
Current stage: Consultation
Consultation closes: 26 July 2024
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. We aim for the Pharmac Board to consider our proposal at their [Month meeting]. If the Board approves the proposal, we plan to list pembrolizumab for this indication on 1 October 2024.
More information
Media release: Pharmac opens first consultation for cancer medicines after funding boost
Application Tracker | Pembrolizumab for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma(external link)
We want to fund it for:
Microsatellite instability-high or deficient mismatch repair (MSI-H/dMMR) colorectal cancer.
We expect about 120 people would start this treatment in the first year of funding.
Around 3,000 people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year and 20% have metastatic disease (where the cancer has spread). Chemotherapy is the current treatment when people can’t have surgery, or surgery isn’t enough.
Current stage: Consultation
Consultation closes: 26 July 2024
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. We aim for the Pharmac Board to consider our proposal at their [Month meeting]. If the Board approves the proposal, we plan to list pembrolizumab for this indication on 1 October 2024.
More information
Media release: Pharmac opens first consultation for cancer medicines after funding boost
Application Tracker | Pembrolizumab for colorectal cancer indication(external link)
We want to fund it for:
Second-line treatment (ie if the cancer has progressed after initial treatment) of advanced urothelial carcinoma.
We expect about 120 people would start this treatment in the first year of funding.
Urothelial carcinoma is the most common type of bladder cancer. Around a quarter of people are diagnosed with advanced disease. Māori and Pacific people are less likely to have this type of cancer compared to the wider population. Chemotherapy is the current treatment.
Current stage: Consultation
Consultation closes: 26 July 2024
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. We aim for the Pharmac Board to consider our proposal at their [Month meeting]. If the Board approves the proposal, we plan to list pembrolizumab for this indication on 1 October 2024.
More information
Media release: Pharmac opens first consultation for cancer medicines after funding boost
Application Tracker | Pembrolizumab as a second-line treatment for bladder cancer(external link)
We want to fund it for:
For Hodgkin lymphoma where the cancer has come back (relapsed) or stopped responding to treatment (refractory).
We expect about 20 people would start this treatment in the first year of funding.
Hodgkin lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system (a part of the immune system). About 100 people are diagnosed each year and around 80% have good outcomes after chemotherapy.
Current stage: Consultation
Consultation closes: 26 July 2024
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. We aim for the Pharmac Board to consider our proposal at their [Month meeting]. If the Board approves the proposal, we plan to list pembrolizumab for this indication on 1 October 2024.
More information
Media release: Pharmac opens first consultation for cancer medicines after funding boost
Application Tracker | Pembrolizumab to treat people ineligible for autologous SCT(external link)
Non-cancer treatments
Our funding boost is allowing Pharmac to fund many of the high-priority treatments that are high on our options for investment list. Funding these medicines helps address many conditions with a high health need.
We want to fund it for:
To prevent invasive fungal infections (IFIs) in immunocompromised people.
We expect about 400 people would need these treatments in the first year of funding.
The impact of invasive fungal infections has shown an upsurge in recent years. This is due to the higher number of people who are immunocompromised as a result of various diseases or treatments, like people living with cancer.
Current stage: Consultation
Consultation closes: 26 July 2024
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. We aim for the Pharmac Board to consider our proposal at their [Month meeting]. If the Board approves the proposal, we plan to list posaconazole for this indication on 1 October 2024.
More information
Media release: Pharmac opens first consultation for cancer medicines after funding boost
We want to fund it for:
To prevent invasive fungal infections (IFIs) in immunocompromised people.
We expect about 400 people would need these treatments in the first year of funding.
The impact of invasive fungal infections has shown an upsurge in recent years. This is due to the higher number of people who are immunocompromised as a result of various diseases or treatments, like people living with cancer.
Current stage: Consultation
Consultation closes: 26 July 2024
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. We aim for the Pharmac Board to consider our proposal at their [Month meeting]. If the Board approves the proposal, we plan to list voriconazole for this indication on 1 October 2024.
More information
Media release: Pharmac opens first consultation for cancer medicines after funding boost
Voriconazole application – Application Tracker (includes clinical advice)(external link)
Who to contact
If you have questions about any of the items on this page, email enquiry@pharmac.govt.nz