Pharmac backtracks on plan to fund lung cancer drug Keytruda
The move has dashed hopes that Keytruda would soon be publicly funded for lung cancer - New Zealand's biggest cancer killer. RNZ has obtained documents showing Pharmac had planned to offer a Request for Proposals, or RFP, where drug companies are asked to pitch their products and prices, but has put that on hold due to budget constraints. Chief executive Sarah Fitt told RNZ that Pharmac was concerned about rising drug prices worldwide in the Covid-19 pandemic and that it could not commit to funding the drug now - but still hoped to in the future.
Lung cancer patients and their advocates are devastated and said they had been given false hope. Keytruda is available in New Zealand but patients must fund it themselves. "So what we now have is 30 lung cancer patients continuing to die prematurely every week and you have to ask yourself, is that acceptable?" Fitt said funding a drug like Keytruda for lung cancer would have cost hundreds of millions over the next five years and Pharmac could not commit to that given the Covid-19 outbreak.
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Commemorate Anzac Day on 25 April
Remember our servicemen and servicewomen past and present by attending an Anzac Day service on Friday 25 April.
New Lynn Book Sale for April
New Lynn Lions will not be having their monthly book sale this coming weekend as it is Easter Weekend. We have several of our Lions, partners and volunteers away for the weekend. We look forward to seeing you on May 17th.
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