‘New Zealanders are dying’: Specialist’s plea for blood cancer drug funding

Pharmac on Thursday opened consultation on allowing asthma patients easier access to inhalers – which if approved would exhaust the record $600 million cancer drug investment announced last year.

But there are already calls for the Government to stump up more.

Blood cancer patients weren’t covered by the promise and 59 haematologists – almost all the blood cancer specialists in the country – have signed a letter to the Government urging them to take urgent action on funding blood cancer medicines in this year’s Budget.

Haematologist Rodger Tiedemann has seen too many patients he can’t adequately help due to a lack of funding.

Read the article here: https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360658687/new-zealanders-are-dying-specialists-plea-blood-cancer-drug-funding