11 October 2016 - PHARMAC is seeking feedback on a proposal to fund three new treatments, widen access to three currently funded treatments, and change the contractual terms for five currently funded treatments through a provisional agreement with Roche.

In addition to the provisional agreement with Roche, PHARMAC is also seeking feedback on both a proposal to widen access to two currently funded treatments supplied by Roche and a proposal to apply reference pricing to a funded treatment supplied by AstraZeneca.

In summary, this proposal would result in the following changes from 1 January 2017:

Funding of three new treatments supplied by Roche:

• obinutuzumab (Gazyva) for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia
• pertuzumab (Perjeta) for metastatic breast cancer
• pirfenidone (Esbriet) for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Widening of access to seven new indications for currently funded treatments supplied by Roche:

• dornase alfa (Pulmozyme) for children under the age of 5 years with cystic fibrosis
• rituximab (Mabthera) for hairy cell leukaemia; re-treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia; and MPO-ANCA positive vasculitis
• tocilizumab (Actemra) for polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis; rheumatoid arthritis; and Castleman’s disease

Amended contractual terms (including pricing, rebates and protection periods) for:

• dornase alfa
• rituximab
• tocilizumab
• trastuzumab (Herceptin)
• erlotinib hydrochloride (Tarceva)

and from 1 April 2017 a reduction of the subsidy for gefitinib (Iressa, supplied by AstraZeneca) from 1 April 2017 via the application of reference pricing to the new proposed price for erlotinib hydrochloride.

Read PHARMAC press release