Patient advocates are upset with Health New Zealand for causing delays for cancer patients. These patients must wait two more months for the drug Keytruda, which will be funded starting October 1. Keytruda treats five types of cancer: head and neck, triple negative breast, colorectal, bladder, and Hodgkin lymphoma.
Malcolm Mulholland from Patient Voice Aotearoa said the drug company Merck Sharp and Dohme offered to give free access to 20 to 30 patients, but Health New Zealand stopped it. He called this decision “cruel” and “dumb.” He mentioned that terminal cancer patients are missing out on a top treatment that takes less time to receive than other options due to Health New Zealand’s poor planning.
Last year, when Keytruda was approved for lung cancer, an early access program was set up for 150 patients. Mulholland questioned why hospitals now cannot handle an extra 20 to 30 patients. He said the health system is failing vulnerable patients.
Mulholland added that if decision-makers worked together, they could have avoided this situation for cancer patients. Health New Zealand has not commented yet. In the meantime, Pharmac announced it will also fund another bowel cancer drug, cetuximab, starting in November.
Ayesha Verrall, the Labour Party health spokesperson, criticized the delay in accessing Keytruda. She said it is the government’s fault for the poor decisions. She explained that Te Whatu Ora has been offered Keytruda for free but is delaying it for two months.
Verrall stated that the government should clarify what changes will happen on October 1 that prevent the use of this medicine now. She expressed concern that patients are not receiving what they need and said Dr. Reti is not doing enough to help them.
