Trastuzumab: Herceptin moved to Herzuma

Since 1 December 2023, Herzuma, the biosimilar trastuzumab, has been funded. This made trastuzumab available to treat more people.

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What's changing

The Herceptin brand of trastuzumab was funded to treat early and metastatic breast cancer. Following a competitive procurement process, Pharmac funded the biosimilar trastuzumab Herzuma from 1 December 2023.

This allowed us to widen access for trastuzumab to treat people with gastric, gastro-oesophageal junction, and oesophageal cancer.

We're also now allowing people to take "treatment holidays" from both trastuzumab and pertuzumab. Pertuzumab is another treatment for metastatic breast cancer and is funded for use with trastuzumab.

By 1 June 2024, anyone taking Herceptin needed to move to Herzuma.

Key dates

1 October 2023 - People taking trastuzumab can take "treatment holidays".

1 December 2023 - Herzuma listed in the Pharmaceutical Schedule. Everyone starting trastuzumab will now be started on Herzuma.

1 June 2024 - Herceptin delisted from the Schedule. Everyone must be moved to Herzuma (unless there are exceptional clinical circumstances)

More information

You can read our original proposal to fund Herzuma and our final decision on our website.

Who to contact

If you have questions about this change, email enquiry@pharmac.govt.nz