Pharmac has announced plans to fund two medicines to help New Zealanders with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
“People who are in need of these medicines are now one step closer to accessing them, with the news that Pharmac is consulting to fund Keytruda and Tecentriq,” said Health Minister, Andrew Little.
“This is another example of how the Government’s boost to the medicines budget is helping New Zealanders,” he said.
Locally advanced or metastatic advanced non-small cell lung cancer (referred to as ‘advanced NSCLC’) is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the lung.
The majority of people with lung cancer are diagnosed with advanced disease, at the locally advanced or metastatic stage.
“Health has always been a priority for Labour governments. It is Pharmac, not politicians, who make the decisions on what treatments to fund, but politicians decide the amount of funding provided to Pharmac,” Mr Little said.
“The medicines budget was not adequately funded by the previous Government. We’re now seeing the outcomes of what happens when you invest in health,” he said.
