New Pharmac drugs will 'significantly' impact quality of life for cancer patients - PM
New drugs for lung cancer and breast cancer, as well as a new treatment for multiple sclerosis will be funded by Pharmac, the Government announced today. In addition, access to a treatment for respiratory disease - pirfenidone, known by brand name Esbriet - will be widened. The drugs for non-small cell lung cancer and HER-2 positive metastatic breast cancer will be available from December 1. Health Minister David Clark said the drug funding would help 420 people, "including people living with advanced cancer". "Pharmac is currently consulting on three more cancer drugs - olaparib (Lynparza) for ovarian cancer, fulvestrant (Faslodex) for breast cancer and venetoclax (Venclexta) for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia," he said in a statement. The drugs funded from December 1 will be alectinib, known as Alecensa, for ALK positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer and trastuzumab emtansine, which goes by brand name Kadcyla, for HER-2 positive metastatic breast cancer.
"It will take time to modernise our approach to cancer care and control and improve survival rates, but today signifies good progress on the delivery of our plan," Mr Clark said.
==========================================================
Today’s Mind-Bender is the Last of the Year! Can You Guess It Before Everyone Else? 🌟🎁🌲
I dance in the sky with green and gold, a spectacle few are lucky to behold; I’m best seen in the south, a celestial sight—what am I, lighting up the New Zealand night?
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm on the day!
Want to stop seeing these in your newsfeed? No worries! Simply head here and click once on the Following button.
No gift? No stress
Let the Christmas elves at Mags4gifts.co.nz handle your last-minute shopping. For a limited time, gift a subscription with up to 40% off best-sellers like TV Guide, NZ House & Garden, and NZ Gardener. It’s the perfect Christmas present, sorted in minutes (and no one needs to know it was a last-minute surprise)!
Loading…