Pharmac improves access to three cancer medicines

10 October 2024

Media release Medicines

Pharmac will improve access to three cancer medicines from 1 November.

The three medicines are cetuximab (branded as Erbitux) for bowel cancer, bendamustine for relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (blood cancer), and pemetrexed, which is currently used for two types of cancer.

“Improving access to these medicines means that people with a range of cancers will have more time to spend with their whānau and friends,” says Adrienne Martin, Pharmac’s Acting Director Pharmaceuticals.

View transcript

[Music] Pharmac will widen access to three cancer medicines from 1 November. The three medicines are cetuximab for bowel cancer, bendamustine for a type of blood cancer and pemetrexed, which would be funded for any type of cancer. Improving access to these medicines will mean people will have more time to spend with their whānau and friends. Cetuximab is currently funded for a type of head and neck cancer. Funding it for bowel cancer, as well, means another 380 people will benefit in the first year of funding. We've made some changes to the cetuximab eligibility criteria in response to the consultation feedback we received. These changes will mean cetuximab can be used without chemotherapy, if it's in the best interest of the person with cancer. We currently fund the chemotherapy medicine called bendamustine for people with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia known as CLL we're widening access to include people whose disease has come back after previous treatments. We currently fund another chemotherapy medicine called pemetrexed we have decided to remove access restrictions so that clinicians can prescribe pemetrexed to other cancer patients they think would benefit. We received lots of consultation feedback from clinicians, advocacy groups, and members of the public on these proposals. We'd like to thank everyone for all of the feedback that they gave us.

Cetuximab (branded as Erbitux) will be funded for a type of bowel cancer where the cancer is located on the left side of the bowel without mutations in certain genes. It is a targeted medicine that prevents the growth and further spread of cancer.

“About 380 people will be eligible to receive cetuximab in the first year of funding and it will be able to be used at any point in their treatment.

“In response to consultation feedback we’ve made some changes to the eligibility criteria for cetuximab. This will allow it to be used without chemotherapy if it’s in the best interest for the person with cancer.”

Pharmac has also widened access to two chemotherapy treatments. The criteria for bendamustine will be updated so it is more accessible for people with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), and the criteria for pemetrexed will be removed, so clinicians can prescribe it at any point in a person’s treatment.

Gut Cancer Foundation Executive Officer, Liam Willis, is delighted that New Zealanders will now have access to Erbitux (cetuximab).

“Patient groups and clinicians have long advocated for this outcome which will see this group of people finally receive treatment that is standard of care, helping them to live longer and healthier lives.

“It's pleasing to see that feedback has also been listened to, and access widened so patients who can't tolerate chemotherapy can still be treated with Erbitux, ensuring they can receive the benefits of this treatment for longer.”

Medical Oncologist Dr Vanessa Durandt says this is a wonderful outcome for the bowel cancer community.

“It will have life changing effects for people needing treatment with cetuximab, and their loved ones. This has been an unmet need for some time, and we can thank our patients, patient advocates and medical professionals who have worked tirelessly to get us to this point today.

“We also appreciate the opportunity to work with Pharmac to ensure that the eligibility criteria are in keeping with international evidence based standards of care. I can honestly say there are many delighted individuals who have been involved with this process.”

Pharmac also recently announced funding for pembrolizumab (branded as Keytruda), from 1 October, for another type of bowel cancer.

The Government provided additional funding to Pharmac in June 2024 to fund new medicines and to widen access to medicines that are already funded. The funding boost covers medicines for both cancer and non-cancer health conditions.

Decision to widen access to cetuximab, bendamustine, and pemetrexed

Media resources

YouTube | Adrienne Martin discusses Pharmac's decision to fund three cancer treatments(external link)

Audio file | Adrienne Martin discusses Pharmac's decision to fund three cancer treatments [MP3, 2.7 MB]

Pronunciation guide

cetuximab – seh-tuk-sih-mab
bendamustine – ben-dah-must-een
pemetrexed – pem-ee-trex-ed

Questions and answers

What is Pharmac funding?

Who will benefit, and how?

Cetuximab for bowel cancer

We’re widening access to cetuximab, a targeted cancer treatment, so it will be funded for people with metastatic bowel cancer. The term metastatic means the cancer has spread. The group of people eligible for treatment are those people who have the cancer located on the left side of the bowel and who do not have RAS or BRAF gene mutations.

We anticipate that about 380 people will benefit from cetuximab in the first year of funding. This includes 140 people who have not received any prior treatments for metastatic disease, 240 people who have received one or more prior treatments, and around 60 people who are privately funding cetuximab. We expect the total number of people starting on treatment would reduce to 150 people each year after five years of funding.

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.

Bendamustine for relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL)

We're updating the eligibility criteria for the chemotherapy, bendamustine. We currently fund bendamustine for people with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), a type of blood cancer, and we are adjusting the eligibility criteria to include people with relapsed or refractory CLL.

Pemetrexed for any condition

We're removing the eligibility criteria for another chemotherapy called pemetrexed. It is currently funded for two specific types of cancer – advanced non-small cell lung cancer and for mesothelioma, a cancer affecting the lining of the lungs. We have decided to remove the eligibility criteria so it will now be available for any relevant use.

How will Pharmac fund this?

When will these medicines be available?