Posted by Michael Wonder on 08 Apr 2019
Greater flexibility needed by PHARMAC to fund new medicines, including cancer drug - expert
8 April 2019 - The fight continues in New Zealand for funding of a life-prolonging drug that targets advanced breast cancer, even as the UK and Australia make moves to have it funded overseas.
Ibrance, which extends life expectancy for breast cancer patients and may improve a woman’s chance of survival, is currently lacking funding in New Zealand due to Pharmac's funding process, health economics consultant Richard Milne said on TVNZ1's Breakfast this morning.
"Over the last few years, we've had a significant delay in funding - two or three years, very often - for good pharmaceuticals," he said. "That's really not acceptable. We need to change the process so the delays will be much less.
