‘Without that drug I’d be dead’
Hundreds of Kiwis battling leukaemia have been given hope: Pharmac says it will fund a new cancer drug, venetoclax. For Rosemary Blackbourn, diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) 10 years ago, the news is music to her ears.
The Auckland grandmother has been part of the venetoclax clinical trial for the past six years and has seen “life-changing” results. “I don’t think I’d still be here today if it wasn’t for that drug, I am extremely lucky.”
At 69, Blackbourn was a radiographer for Breast Screening New Zealand when she started getting symptoms and quickly discovered she had CLL.
Her doctor said she had about eight years to live. “It was a complete shock and the hardest part was I had to wait one year to start chemotherapy as it could do more harm than good.”
Blackbourn had six rounds of chemotherapy, which she described as “gruelling” and “awful”.
“It sucked the life out of me.” Though that worked, her symptoms returned a few years later and she was accepted on to the groundbreaking venetoclax trial.
“For a long-time chemo has been the only treatment available to CLL patients so being a part of something new that gave hope was very exciting.”
CLL is the most common form of leukaemia in New Zealand. About 120 people are diagnosed annually.
The new drug — being funded by Pharmac from December 1— is a tablet and means patients may not have to go through the side effects of chemotherapy and do not have to travel into hospital.
The results from the trial showed 80 per cent of participants improved and 20 per cent went into remission.
Pharmac expects about 150 people will benefit from venetoclax in the first year of funding it, rising to 230 Kiwis by the end of the second year.
Dr Robert Weinkove, a clinical director at Wellington’s Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, described the drug as a “big step forward”.
But the treatment came at a big expense: Weinkove put the cost at thousands of dollars each month — or even hundreds of dollars each day.
“I would like to see it become available to a greater number of patients, but this announcement targets that group that is at the greatest clinical need right now.”
He hoped the treatment and similar medicines might ultimately replace the need for chemotherapy altogether in CLL patients.
Blackbourn’s son Ben Hart said he remembers her saying she wanted another 10 years of life to watch her grandchildren grow up. Now, not only has she lived 10 extra years, but she’s seen others given the same hope.