No funding for new blood cancer drugs in the foreseeable future

Rob Crozier, Trustee, sat in on the Budget yesterday in the faint hope that the Government would keep National’s promise to fund new cancer drugs.  Rob was invited to join a group convened by Malcolm Mulholland of Patient Voice Aotearoa.  We were all bitterly disappointed!

The Budget projects out for 4 years and there is no intention to fund new blood cancer drugs.

Rob spoke to Radio NZ yesterday and posted the following comment on both Stuff and NZ Herald websites:

“There is nothing in this budget for new blood cancer drugs. A promise was made to fund 13 new cancer drugs during the 2023 election campaign. In 2024 only 7 of these drugs were funded – all for solid tumours. Shane Reti, then Minister of Health, said that decisions on blood cancer would be delayed until the Cancer Control Agency had reported. They did so in October 2024. There are 24 blood cancer drugs funded in Australia that are not funded here. The absence of any increase for blood cancer drugs simply extends the broken promise made soon after the election”.