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PHARMAC trades off one patient group for another
Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC)Media Release
Auckland, 13 December 2005
For Immediate Release
Zoladex was hastily withdrawn in December 2005 but access was reinstated as a result of pressure from BCAC, prostate patients and cancer treatment specialists.
Breast cancer advocacy group, The Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC), is concerned over plans by government pharmaceutical funding agency PHARMAC to fund Humira (adalimumab), a drug for arthritis sufferers, at the expense of Zoladex, a drug widely used for the treatment of early and advanced stage breast cancer and prostate cancer.
PHARMAC plans to reduce the Zoladex subsidy by 20% and use the money saved to fund Humira for arthritis sufferers. In response, Astra Zeneca, the manufacturers of Zoladex (goserelin) have signalled their intention to withdraw their product from the New Zealand market.
PHARMAC is proposing to fully fund another drug, Lucrin (leuprorelin), as an alternative to Zoladex.
BCAC Chair, Libby Burgess, says PHARMAC’s proposal to fully fund Lucrin is contrary to the agency’s stated procedures for the evaluation of cancer drugs. ‘PHARMAC has an expert committee on cancer drugs which is supposed to carefully evaluate scientific evidence about a new drug before making a decision for its use. This process ensures the drug is effective and that there are no adverse consequences for patients. In this case, PHARMAC appears not to have sought proper advice in their haste to make a cost-saving deal. This is clearly a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul, doing a deal to benefit one patient group at the expense of another to save money. It is irresponsible to force patients to switch from Zoladex, a drug with proven survival benefits in the treatment of breast and prostate cancers.’
BCAC believes PHARMAC should seek more money from the government for pharmaceutical treatments for all cancers rather than trading off one group against the other. ‘If this proposal goes ahead,’ says Ms Burgess, ‘patients will no longer have access to Zoladex.
Treatments with Zoladex are long term and may involve monthly or 3 monthly injections for several years. Switching from one treatment to the other could compromise patient outcomes. We would like to see scientific evidence that this enforced switching will not compromise patient survival in breast and prostate cancer.’ Ms Burgess adds that this latest proposal shows PHARMAC’s policies are inconsistent and BCAC is calling for transparency and accountability to explain this decision. ‘Such deals will only further disadvantage people with breast and prostate cancer. Switching to another drug will add even more stress to these men and women who are trying hard to improve their long term chances of surviving the disease.’
