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.
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More messages from your neighbours

11 minutes ago

Amazingly quiet night in Green Bay

Markus from Green Bay

All the Best for the New Year! The last few years they started banging days earlier already, but this year it was amazingly quiet. Now either people suddenly got smart and care about animals and the environment (which I don’t believe for a second) or it’s the clearest sign of the Cost of Living Crisis we are in. I’m just glad I can make a damn fine bread for under a dollar.

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