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 medicines
We want to fund it for:
People with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) that has come back (relapsed) or stopped responding to treatment (refractory), that is as a second-line treatment.
Bendamustine gives people another treatment option that could extend the time until the cancer returns. We expect that up to five people could receive bendamustine each year as a result of this proposal.
Current stage: We're considering your feedback
Consultation was open from 12 July to 29 July 2024
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. Following that we will take the final proposal to Pharmac’s Board (or a delegate) for a decision.
More information
We want to fund it for:
People with metastatic colorectal cancer (bowel cancer that has spread to other parts of the body) located on the left side of the bowel without genetic mutations.
It would be funded as a first-line therapy. This is the first treatment given for the disease.
Current stage: We're considering your feedback
Consultation was open from 5 August to 23 August 2024
Proposal to widen access to cetuximab for bowel cancer
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. Following that we will take the final proposal to Pharmac’s Board (or a delegate) for a decision. If approved, funding would be available from 1 November 2024.
More information
Media release: Significant step forward proposed for bowel cancer
Application Tracker | Cetuximab for bowel cancer (includes clinical advice)(external link)
We want to fund it for:
People with metastatic colorectal cancer (bowel cancer that has spread to other parts of the body) located on the left side of the bowel without genetic mutations as a second-line therapy. This is where other treatments haven't been successful or have caused severe side effects.
Current stage: We're considering your feedback
Consultation was open from 5 August to 23 August 2024
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. Following that we will take the final proposal to Pharmac’s Board (or a delegate) for a decision. If approved, funding would be available from 1 November 2024.
More information
Media release: Significant step forward proposed for bowel cancer
Application Tracker | Cetuximab for bowel cancer (includes clinical advice)(external link)
We want to fund it for:
VIPomas, glucagonomas, gastrinomas, insulinomas, carcinoid syndrome.
Neuroendocrine cancers that start in the neuroendocrine system, which makes and releases hormones that control many body functions.
Lanreotide acetate provides a longer lasting effect than currently funded treatments.
Current stage: We're considering your feedback
Consultation was open from 12 July to 29 July 2024
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. Following that we will take the final proposal to Pharmac’s Board (or a delegate) for a decision.
More information
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: We're considering your feedback
Consultation was open from 12 July to 29 July 2024
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. Following that we will take the final proposal to Pharmac’s Board (or a delegate) for a decision. If approved, funding would be available from 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:
Any indication where a clinician believes it will help. This is most likely to be for non-small cell lung cancer, but there might be other cancers it could treat.
We are proposing to remove all funding criteria for pemetrexed. We estimate that up to five extra people might benefit from this each year.
Current stage: We're considering your feedback
Consultation was open from 12 July to 29 July 2024
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. Following that we will take the final proposal to Pharmac’s Board (or a delegate) for a decision. If approved, funding would be available from 1 November 2024.
More information
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: We're considering your feedback
Consultation was open from 5 July to 26 July 2024
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. Following that we will take the final proposal to Pharmac’s Board (or a delegate) for a decision. If approved, funding would be available from 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: We're considering your feedback
Consultation was open from 5 July to 26 July 2024
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. Following that we will take the final proposal to Pharmac’s Board (or a delegate) for a decision. If approved, funding would be available from 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: We're considering your feedback
Consultation was open from 5 July to 26 July 2024
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. Following that we will take the final proposal to Pharmac’s Board (or a delegate) for a decision. If approved, funding would be available from 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: We're considering your feedback
Consultation was open from 5 July to 26 July 2024
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. Following that we will take the final proposal to Pharmac’s Board (or a delegate) for a decision. If approved, funding would be available from 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: We're considering your feedback
Consultation was open from 5 July to 26 July 2024
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. Following that we will take the final proposal to Pharmac’s Board (or a delegate) for a decision. If approved, funding would be available from 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)
We want to fund it for:
People with renal cell carcinoma who cannot take sunitinib because of negative side effects.
This gives people another alternative to treatment when sunitinib doesn't work for them.
Current stage: We're considering your feedback
Consultation was open from 12 July to 29 July 2024
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. Following that we will take the final proposal to Pharmac’s Board (or a delegate) for a decision.
More information
We want to fund it for:
More people with metastatic renal cell carcinoma
Our clinical advisors have told us that sunitinib could help people live longer and stop the cancer progressing. We think about 30 more people would be able to get sunitinib each year.
Current stage: We're considering your feedback
Consultation was open from 12 July to 29 July 2024
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. Following that we will take the final proposal to Pharmac’s Board (or a delegate) for a decision.
More information
Non-cancer medicines
Our funding boost is allowing Pharmac to fund many of the high-priority medicines that are high on our options for investment list. Funding these medicines helps address many conditions with a high health need.
What we want to fund it for
People who can't take other antipsychotic long-acting injections or for people who have difficulty taking oral antipsychotics.
Aripiprazole depot injection (also known as aripiprazole long-acting injection) is a medicine used to manage and treat schizophrenia. It is administered by a health care professional once a month. It helps to correct a chemical imbalance in the brain associated with schizophrenia. It can also be used to lessen the chance of schizophrenia symptoms coming back.
Current stage: We're considering your feedback
Consultation was open from 10 July 2024 until 30 July 2024.
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. Following that we will take the final proposal to Pharmac’s Board (or a delegate) for a decision. If approved, funding would be available from 1 November 2024.
More information
Media release and Q&A: Over 6,000 people will benefit from Pharmac funding proposal if approved
Application Tracker | Aripiprazole long-acting injection(external link)
We want to fund them for:
Severe chronic localised genital or flexural plaque psoriasis.
This would widen access to these medicines to treat people who have plaque psoriasis in places their skin folds (like armpits) and genitals. Psoriasis can make a person’s skin scaly, itchy, and red, affecting their quality of life. Severe psoriasis can cause significant medical and psychological problems – increasing a person’s risk of death.
The original application was to only fund adalimumab. Following clinical advice, we're proposing to widen access to four medicines; adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab, and secukinumab.
Current stage: We're considering your feedback
Consultation was open from 10 July 2024 until 30 July 2024.
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly and then take the final proposal to Pharmac’s Board (or a delegate) for a decision. If approved, funding would be available from 1 November.
More information
Media release and Q&A: Over 6,000 people will benefit from Pharmac funding proposal if approved
We want to fund it for:
People with chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).
Current stage: Consultation
Proposal to widen access to empagliflozin for chronic heart failure
Consultation closes: 4pm Friday 13 September
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. Following that we will take the final proposal to Pharmac’s Board (or a delegate) for a decision. If approved, funding would be available from 1 December 2024.
More information
Media release: Pharmac proposes to widen access to medicine used in the treatment of heart failure
We want to fund it for:
Iron deficiency anaemia for people with chronic inflammatory disease
Our clinical advisors have told us that there are challenges in diagnosing iron deficiency in people with chronic inflammation. It can also be challenging for people to get ferric carboxymaltose in primary care, because currently a specialist must give approval for funded access.
Current stage: We're considering your feedback
Consultation was open from 10 July 2024 until 30 July 2024.
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. Following that we will take the final proposal to Pharmac’s Board (or a delegate) for a decision. If approved, funding would be available from 1 November 2024.
More information
Media release and Q&A: Over 6,000 people will benefit from Pharmac funding proposal if approved
We want to fund it for:
More people with uncomplicated urinary tract infections.
Fosfomycin is currently funded for hospital use only. Funding fosfomycin for use in the community would avoid the need for some people to be treated for urinary tract infections in the hospital. We expect that around 80% of cases currently treated in hospital could be successfully treated in the community.
Our Anti-infectives Specialist Advisory Committee recommended funding this with a high priority.
Current stage: We're considering your feedback
Consultation was open from 18 July 2024 until 1 August 2024.
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. Following that we will take the final proposal to Pharmac’s Board (or a delegate) for a decision. The pricing and timeframes for listing zonisamide would be notified as part of a Tender decision. Any products listed through the Tender would have Principal Supply Status until 30 June 2027.
More information
We want to fund it for:
Malignant bowel obstruction.
Lanreotide acetate is easier to use than currently funded treatments.
Current stage: We're considering your feedback
Consultation was open from 12 July to 29 July 2024
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. Following that we will take the final proposal to Pharmac’s Board (or a delegate) for a decision.
More information
We want to fund it for:
Acromegaly.
Lanreotide acetate provides a longer lasting effect than currently funded treatments.
Current stage: We're considering your feedback
Consultation was open from 12 July to 29 July 2024
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. Following that we will take the final proposal to Pharmac’s Board (or a delegate) for a decision.
More information
We want to fund it for:
Opioid-induced constipation in hospitalised patients outside of palliative care.
Opioids are used to control pain and often lead to constipation. Constipation:
- causes distress
- has a negative impact on quality of life
- can lead to life-threatening complications.
Using opioids when people are sick in hospital with other things can make constipation difficult to treat.
Current stage: We're considering your feedback
Consultation was open from 10 July 2024 until 30 July 2024.
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. Following that we will take the final proposal to Pharmac’s Board (or a delegate) for a decision. If approved, funding would be available from 1 November 2024.
More information
Media release and Q&A: Over 6,000 people will benefit from Pharmac funding proposal if approved
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: We're considering your feedback
Consultation was open from 5 July to 26 July 2024
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. Following that we will take the final proposal to Pharmac’s Board (or a delegate) for a decision. If approved, funding would be available from 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: We're considering your feedback
Consultation was open from 5 July to 26 July 2024
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. Following that, we will take the final proposal to Pharmac’s Board (or a delegate) for a decision. If approved, funding would be available from 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)
We want to fund it for:
- Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs) which are severe childhood epilepsy syndromes. These include syndromes such as Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, Dravet Syndrome, Infantile Epileptic Spasms Syndrome, Early Infantile Epileptic Encephalopathy, Epilepsy with myoclonic-atonic seizures.
- Refractory focal epilepsy, which are focal epilepsies that have not responded to at least three epilepsy treatments.
Funding zonisamide would give people with epilepsy more treatment options for these difficult to treat types of epilepsy.
Current stage: We're considering your feedback
Consultation was open from 18 July 2024 until 1 August 2024.
Next steps
We will consider your feedback thoroughly. Following that we will take the final proposal to Pharmac’s Board (or a delegate) for a decision. The pricing and timeframes for listing zonisamide would be notified as part of a Tender decision. Any products listed through the Tender would have Principal Supply Status until 30 June 2027.
More information
Other treatments we're working on
Pharmac has issued a 'future procurement opportunity' for bevacizumab to treat various cancers. This is an early signal to suppliers that we're interested in funding this product. It gives suppliers time to prepare their pricing proposals.
Media release: Pharmac indicates interest in funding cancer treatment bevacizumab
About future procurement opportunities
Funding applications for bevacizumab – Application Tracker(external link)
Who to contact
If you have questions about any of the items on this page, email enquiry@pharmac.govt.nz