First cancer medicine decision following Pharmac funding boost

9 September 2024

Media release Medicines

Media resources

Video file | Geraldine MacGibbon talks about the decision - Youtube(external link)

Audio file | Geraldine MacGibbon talks about the decision [MP3, 2.5 MB]

Track our process to funding more medicines

Pharmac has decided to widen access to two medicines for several types of cancer.

Pembrolizumab (branded as Keytruda) will be funded from 1 October 2024 for eligible people with advanced triple-negative breast cancer, head and neck cancer, colorectal cancer, bladder cancer, and Hodgkin lymphoma. Nivolumab (branded as Opdivo) will be funded from 1 November for eligible people with kidney cancer.

Pharmac’s Director of Pharmaceuticals, Geraldine MacGibbon, says Pharmac is really pleased to announce our first decision for cancer medicines since the Government provided additional funding in June to fund medicines for a range of cancer and non-cancer conditions.

“Access to these medicines will slow down the progression of these cancers and improve survival so that people have more valuable time with their whānau and friends,” she says.

“We estimate 1,000 additional people will access these treatments in the first year of funding, increasing to 4,500 over five years.”

Executive Officer of the Gut Cancer Foundation, Liam Willis is pleased to receive news of widened access to pembrolizumab for microsatellite instability high or deficient mismatch repair (MSI-H/dMMR) colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.

"This group of patients hasn't had any new treatments funded for over 20 years and we are heartened to see this option become available. Pharmac has listened to clinicians and patient groups, including Gut Cancer Foundation. As a result, this decision means more people will get access to this treatment and those currently self-funding will be able to have that financial burden removed."

Chief Executive of Breast Cancer Foundation NZ, Ah-Leen Rayner, is ecstatic that Kiwis with advanced triple negative breast cancer will finally be able to get the life-extending treatment they need.

"Keytruda [pembrolizumab] is a breakthrough drug that can help patients live significantly longer and healthier lives. It’s recognised internationally as the best way to treat this form of the disease.”

Pharmac has also approved funding for widened access to the medicines posaconazole and voriconazole from 1 October for people at high risk of invasive fungal infections, such as people undergoing cancer treatment or organ transplants.

Decision to widen access to immunotherapy for six types of cancer, and treatments to prevent fungal infection

	Pronunciation guide:
pembrolizumab – pem-bro-liz-ew-mab
nivolumab – nee-vol-ew-mab
posaconazole – poe-sa-kon-a-zole
voriconazole – vor-ih-kon-ah-zole

Questions and answers

Q. What has been decided?

Pharmac is widening access to two medicines for cancer and two medicines for the prevention of fungal infections:

pembrolizumab (branded as Keytruda)
nivolumab (branded as Opdivo)
posaconazole (branded as Posaconazole Juno or Devatis)
voriconazole (branded as Vttack, Vfend or AFT)

Pembrolizumab and nivolumab for cancer

These targeted cancer medicines, called immunotherapies (immune checkpoint inhibitors), work by helping the body’s immune system to fight cancer cells. They are administered as intravenous infusions in hospitals.

Pembrolizumab is already funded for metastatic melanoma advanced non-small cell lung cancer, and nivolumab for metastatic melanoma.

Nivolumab is already funded for metastatic melanoma.

Posaconazole and voriconazole for the prevention of fungal infections

These medicines stop the growth of fungal infections and can be given as a preventative treatment. They are taken as daily tablets or as an oral liquid.

Posaconazole is currently funded for people with leukaemia or people due to receive a stem cell transplant. Voriconazole is currently funded for people who are immunocompromised and have specific infections.

Q. What are the medicines going to be funded for?

Pembrolizumab for advanced triple-negative breast cancer

People with advanced triple-negative breast cancer who meet certain criteria will be eligible to receive pembrolizumab as an initial treatment option (a first-line treatment).

Breast cancer affects 1 in 9 people over their lifetime, and up to 15% have triple-negative breast cancer. Māori and Pacific people are more likely to experience worse outcomes from breast cancer compared to other ethnicities.

Pembrolizumab for head and neck cancer

People with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who meet certain criteria will be eligible to receive pembrolizumab as an initial treatment option (a first-line treatment).

People with this specific type of head and neck cancer previously haven’t had many effective treatment options.

Pembrolizumab for advanced bowel cancer

People with unresectable or metastatic colorectal cancer who meet certain criteria will be eligible to receive pembrolizumab as an initial treatment option (a first-line treatment).

People with unresectable or metastatic colorectal cancer who have tried other treatment options will also be eligible to receive pembrolizumab as a second-line treatment. This is where other treatments haven't been successful or have caused severe side effects.

Around 3,000 people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year, and 20% have metastatic disease (where the cancer has spread), of which up to 10% are deficient mismatch repair (dMMR). Chemotherapy is the current treatment for this group of people.

Pembrolizumab for advanced bladder cancer

People with advanced urothelial carcinoma who meet certain criteria will be eligible to receive pembrolizumab as a second-line treatment after trying other treatment options.

Urothelial carcinoma is the most common type of bladder cancer. Around a quarter of people are diagnosed with advanced disease. Chemotherapy is the current treatment for this group of people.

Pembrolizumab for Hodgkin lymphoma

People with relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma who meet certain criteria will be eligible to receive pembrolizumab as a second-line treatment after trying other treatment options.

Hodgkin lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system (a part of the immune system).

About 100 people are diagnosed yearly, many of whom do well on currently funded treatments. This group of people currently receive brentuximab vedotin. Pembrolizumab is expected to improve outcomes for this group of people.

Nivolumab for kidney cancer

People with advanced renal cell carcinoma who meet certain criteria will be eligible to receive nivolumab as a second-line treatment after trying other initial treatment options.

Renal cell carcinoma is the most common type of kidney cancer and is more common in men. Previously, no targeted treatment options have been funded in New Zealand when someone’s disease progresses on current treatments (sunitinib or pazopanib).

Posaconazole and voriconazole to prevent fungal infections

Widening access to posaconazole and voriconazole for immunocompromised people will help to reduce the impact of invasive fungal infections, which have increased globally in recent years. The increase is due to the higher number of people who are immunocompromised as a result of various diseases or treatments, such as people living with cancer.

Q. How will Pharmac fund access to these medicines?