Pharmac Updates Blood Cancer Decision Following Patient Feedback

Pharmac has decided to fund two new combination therapies for individuals diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), a specific type of blood cancer. This decision follows feedback from patients and clinical advisors regarding the importance of early access to targeted treatments.

Associate Health Minister David Seymour welcomed the decision, noting that improving access to cancer medication is a priority for patients and their families in New Zealand.

Details of the Funded Therapies

The funding covers two specific treatment combinations designed for people with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia:

• Venetoclax used in combination with ibrutinib.
• Venetoclax used in combination with obinutuzumab.

These combinations are intended to serve as a first treatment option, allowing patients to receive modern, targeted therapies immediately following their diagnosis. Funding for these combinations is scheduled to begin on 1 May 2026.

Pharmac’s Director Pharmaceuticals, Adrienne Martin, stated that these treatments are expected to provide benefits such as longer-lasting remission, an improved quality of life, and a reduction in the number of required hospital visits.

The agency estimates that approximately 80 to 90 people per year will benefit from these combination therapies over the next five years.

Clinical Context and Previous Funding

While the individual medicines in these combinations have been used to treat blood cancers previously, they were not funded to be used together as a first-line treatment option for CLL until this decision.

The history of funding for these specific agents includes:

• In 2016, obinutuzumab was funded in combination with chlorambucil for certain CLL patients.
• In 2019, Pharmac funded venetoclax on its own, as well as venetoclax in combination with rituximab for CLL.
• In 2022, ibrutinib was funded for patients whose CLL had returned or failed to respond to other treatments.

The shift toward funding these specific combinations as initial treatments reflects input from the blood cancer community. According to Adrienne Martin, clinical advisors and the community indicated that these combinations could make a real difference when used early.

This proposal would give people access to powerful, targeted treatments immediately after their diagnosis

Adrienne Martin, Pharmac’s Director Pharmaceuticals