Significant step forward proposed for bowel cancer

Pharmac is proposing to widen funded access to cetuximab (branded as Erbitux) for a type of bowel cancer. Cetuximab is a targeted cancer treatment given by an intravenous infusion, in combination with chemotherapy. It is currently funded for a type of head and neck cancer.

Consultation on Pharmac’s funding proposal is now open and will close at 4pm Friday 23 August 2024. Feedback can be provided by emailing consult@pharmac.govt.nz or through our online form(external link).

Pharmac has sought advice and information from clinicians to help develop the funding proposal. Feedback from the public consultation will help us identify any issues that need further consideration before we make a decision.

Pharmac is proposing to widen funded access to cetuximab for people with metastatic bowel cancer. The term metastatic means the cancer has spread. The group of people eligible for treatment would have the cancer located on the left side of the bowel and do not have RAS or BRAF gene mutations. 

About 180 people would benefit from treatment with cetuximab in the first year of funding if the decision is approved. The treatment would be funded as a first medicine, and as a further treatment for people who have only received chemotherapy previously. 

Bowel cancer affects the lower part of the gastrointestinal tract. There are around 3,000 people diagnosed with colorectal cancer in New Zealand each year. Most people with bowel cancer are treated with chemotherapy and/or surgery.

Pharmac has received funding applications for other medicines to treat bowel cancer. In July Pharmac consulted on a proposal to fund pembrolizumab, another targeted cancer treatment. An application for another targeted cancer treatment called bevacizumab has been assessed and is ranked on the options for investment list. 

This funding proposal is part of a package of additional funding allocated by the Government in June 2024. The funding boost enables Pharmac to fund a number of new medicines and to widen access to medicines that are already funded for both cancer and non-cancer health conditions. 

Questions and Answers on budget increase 

If the public consultation identifies issues that require further consideration, the team at Pharmac might need to seek further information and advice. Following that process, a decision would be made by Pharmac. 

If approved, cetuximab for bowel cancer would be funded from 1 November 2024. We will advise if further work is required that changes this timeframe.