Pharmac to fund new cancer drug

Multiple myeloma, a common blood cancer, is incurable, but can be survived for years with the right treatment and medicines, which have greatly improved.

Kiwis have been left out of that progress because Pharmac hasn’t funded new myeloma drugs for a decade.

But the drug-buying agency is now proposing to fund pomalidomide and widen access to another medicine, lenalidomide.

Patient groups have welcomed Pharmac’s proposal to fund a new drug for the blood cancer multiple myeloma, and hope a breakthrough for other medicines is close.

The government drug-buying agency yesterday announced a proposal to fund pomalidomide (branded as Pomolide) for people with relapsed multiple myeloma, which would be the first new drug for the blood cancer funded in a decade.

Pharmac also wants to widen access to a currently funded drug, lenalidomide, by switching to a generic version (branded as Lenalidomide Viatris).

This would also begin from August 1 and benefit eligible myeloma patients, and people with myelodysplastic syndrome.

Overall, more than 800 patients would benefit, Pharmac said.

“We understand there are other treatments the multiple myeloma community would like to see funded, such as daratumumab and carfilzomib,” said Pharmac’s chief medical officer, Dr David Hughes.