Without Keytruda, 30 deaths a week in NZ from cancer
Pharmac’s decision to backtrack on funding Keytruda is a major blow for equality in New Zealand’s health system, a leading oncologist says.
Lung cancer is the most fatal cancer in New Zealand, taking about 1800 lives a year, but immunotherapy drugs like Keytruda have been proving effective.
Medical oncologist Laird Cameron said while they were not miracle cures and did not work for everyone, immunotherapy drugs could double survival rates for patients with advanced lung cancer.
“That’s why for the first time … with the introduction of this class of drugs, we are having cases of five-year survival with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer, and outside of types of therapy, that’s just never achieved with chemotherapy, which is our current standard in that group.”
On 22 April, RNZ’s In-Depth team and Checkpoint revealed Pharmac had withdrawn its request for proposals (RFP) for companies to pitch prices for the drug. The drug-buying agency said it could not afford Keytruda, with medicine costs rising as a result of COVID-19.
