Pharmac inks deal for new cancer, HIV and COPD drugs
About 30,000 New Zealanders with ovarian cancer, lung disease, HIV and other conditions will now get access to new medicines under a deal between Pharmac and pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline.
The government drug-funding agency said the “bundle agreement” had allowed it to find savings on some medicines to support the funding of others.
Chief medical officer Dr David Hughes said the decision followed public consultation and covered treatments for ovarian cancer, lung disease, HIV, a rare condition affecting blood vessels and for people at high risk of getting shingles.
“These medicines are going to make a big difference to people's lives.”
Ovarian Cancer Foundation founder Jane Ludeman said says niraparib would be “life-changing” for about 110 women with high-grade serous cancer in the first year.
“Our community has told us having this treatment available will give them more time to spend with their whānau and help them know they've tried everything they can to be around to make more memories.
“As ovarian cancer is the least survivable women's cancer, this is a significant step forward.”
Pharmac was still considering extending access to the drug to women with highgrade serous endometrioid cancer.
About 15,000 people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will be able to switch from using multiple inhalers to the first single inhaler tripletherapy from May 1, branded as Trelegy Ellipta.
Asthma and Respiratory Foundation medical director,Dr James Fingleton said it would lead to “more equitable outcomes” for patients.
“We want to see people with severe
COPD have a treatment option that will provide them the most benefit.
“Having this triple-therapy available will help people to deal with their symptoms. We're really pleased Pharmac listened to our feedback and have made appropriate changes enabling our prescribers to give this treatment as needed.”
The decision included: Maintenance treatment for ovarian cancer, niraparib (branded as Zejula), from 1 May 2024, which will benefit 110 people in the first year of funding.
Funding the first single inhaler tripletherapy from May 1.
Funding a treatment for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), dolutegravir with lamivudine (branded as Dovato), from May 1. About 900 people are expected to switch from their current treatment to this in the first year of funding.
Widening access to mepolizumab (branded as Nucala) for vasculitis from May 1.
Widening access to the shingles vaccine for some people who are immunocompromised and at high risk of getting shingles from July 1. This will affect 15,000 people in the first two years of funding, in addition to people who are 65 years or older who can access the vaccine.
The chairperson of a Christchurch community board described as dysfunctional has resigned from her leadership position for a second time.
As of May 9, Helen Broughton will no longer chair the Waipuna Halswell Hornby Riccarton Community Board, but will stay on as one of its nine members.
The Press understands a board member was considering a vote of no confidence in Broughton’s leadership, but she denies any knowledge of this and says she is leaving on her own terms.
She also does not think the board has been dysfunctional or chaotic, as her colleagues have said during meetings and to The Press, but acknowledges the last few meetings were especially tense due to the contentious nature of approving a new traffic layout for Church Corner.
She said over the last month she had met with every member of the board, and although none had outright asked her to step down, she got “a sense” they did not support her as chairperson. However, she said she did not know why she had lost their support, and in coming weeks would ask them.
The community board members who responded to The Press’ request for comment were nearly identical in their comments, thanking Broughton for her years of service and saying they look forward to working with her as a colleague.
Cr Andrei Moore said, at Broughton’s request, members had agreed on Thursday not to comment to media until next week.
Broughton, a former Christchurch city councillor who has been involved in local government since 1995, first tendered her resignation in March on the condition that she remained the board’s spokesperson on urban planning matters.
Board member and city councillor Mark Peters, who identified himself as being one of her biggest supporters, told colleagues in the March 14 meeting that agreeing to her compromise would be a way for Broughton to “step aside gracefully”. However, most members disagreed and Broughton’s conditional resignation was rejected.
At the board’s latest meeting, on Thursday, the city council’s interim chief executive officer, Mary Richardson, said Broughton’s latest resignation was final.
The resignation was not part of the agenda for Thursday’s meeting and was raised right at the end, when she told community board staff to leave the room, then asked if she could discuss something confidentially.
Richardson told her there were no reasonable grounds for Broughton’s item to be discussed out of the public eye, though agreed to a brief adjournment to the meeting. When a livestream of the meeting resumed, Richardson said Broughton had resigned to her in writing and in person on Tuesday. It did not need to go to a vote, and there were no conditions.