The Cancer Control Agency has found 18 drugs available in Australia that New Zealanders can't access would make substantial clinical benefit to Kiwis who need them.
The Cancer Control Agency, also known as Aho o Te Kahu, released its analysis on the funding of cancer drugs in New Zealand titled, Understanding the Gap: an analysis of the availability of cancer medicines in Aotearoa, on Tuesday.
The report analyses what cancer medicines for solid tumours are funded in Australia compared to New Zealand - both in quantity and clinical benefit.
"When someone is diagnosed with cancer, the first thing they want to know is whether there is a treatment. Whether curative or life-prolonging, people expect to have access to cancer medicines when they need them," chief executive of Te Aho o Te Kahu, Professor Diana Sarfati said.
"For a number of years, there has been a concern Aotearoa is lagging behind other comparable countries when it comes to the funding of cancer medicines."
Sarfati said the analysis was done to understand how significant the gaps are in terms of clinical benefit when compared to Australia.
The Cancer Control Agency found twenty different gaps (18 individual medicines), across nine different cancer types, where the medicine was publicly funded in Australia and not in New Zealand.
Of those 18 individual medicines, it was indicated the medicine would offer substantial clinical benefit.
Three of the gaps identified were for use in the curative context, where the medicines are used alongside surgery with the intent to cure.
The remaining seventeen gaps were in the non-curative context, where they are being used with the intent of either extending a person's life or improving the quality of their life, but it is not expected that their cancer will be cured.
Since the analysis was completed, two of the non-curative medicines have been approved for funding by Pharmac, durvalumab - for certain types of lung cancer - and olaparib - for certain types of ovarian cancer.
"Any gap in funding with substantial clinical benefit is important - particularly for those living with cancer," Professor Sarfati said.
"We hope this report provides clarity on the state of play of cancer medicines in Aotearoa and is a useful tool for Pharmac and policymakers as they balance investment across the health system."
