Immunotherapy treatment data for non-small cell lung cancer and melanoma

OIA response

Thank you for your request dated 19 July 2023 under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) for information relating to immunotherapy treatment data. You requested: 

Melanoma

  • The latest data by month on number of Special Authority’s – initial and renewal for the 2 immunotherapies funded for melanoma in New Zealand, pembrolizumab and nivolumab (as previously received in the attached)
  • Also the number of milligrams dispensed each day for each person who received pembrolizumab by hospital and by ethnicity up to your latest data set (including month dispensed as previously received in the attached)
  • Also the total number of units in each dispensing of pembrolizumab up to your latest data set (including month dispensed as previously received in the attached) 

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

  • The latest data by month on number of Special Authority’s – initial and renewal for monotherapy of KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) funded for NSCLC in New Zealand.
  • The latest data by month on number of Special Authority’s – initial and renewal for KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) used in combination with chemotherapy funded for NSCLC in New Zealand.
  • The latest data by month on number of Special Authority’s – initial and renewal for monotherapy of TECENTRIQ (atezolizumab) funded for NSCLC in New Zealand, (as previously received in the attached)
  • The latest data by month on number of Special Authority’s – initial and renewal for monotherapy of IMFINZI  (durvalumab) funded for NSCLC in New Zealand, (as previously received in the attached)
  • Also the number of milligrams dispensed each day for each person who received pembrolizumab for NSCLC by hospital and by ethnicity up to your latest data set (including month dispensed as previously received in the attached)
  • Also the total number of units in each dispensing of pembrolizumab up to your latest data set (including month dispensed as previously received in the attached)

 We have redacted a small amount of information from the documents as we consider this necessary to protect the privacy of natural persons (section 9(2)(a) of the OIA), these counts are shown as “<6”.

We are unable to provide the additional breakdown of the data by dispensing hospital and ethnicity data as that could compromise patient confidentiality (section 9(2)(a) of the OIA).

We trust that this information answers your queries. Please note, you have the right to make a complaint to the Ombudsman about our response to your OIA, under section 28(3) of the OIA. Details of how to make a complaint(external link) are on the Ombudsman’s website.

To make information more freely available, we publish selected OIA responses (excluding personal details) on our website. Please get in touch with us if you have any questions about this.