Aotearoa is at least a decade behind in blood cancer treatments, says a New Zealand haematologist working in Australia.
Photo: 123RF
A New Zealand haematologist working in Australia has warned highly trained doctors are being driven offshore, along with patients, because Aotearoa is at least a decade behind in blood cancer treatments.
Professor Judith Trotman, chair of the Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group, has treated New Zealand patients who purposefully moved across the Tasman to gain access to funded treatment like the antibody medication daratumumab.
One of her patients, Jo Neep, told Checkpoint that she felt no choice but to move to Australia to access the life prolonging drug, which is not funded in New Zealand.
Professor Judith Trotman, chair of the Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group.
Photo: Sam Hubel
Daratumumab, which is funded in more than 45 other countries, has been on Pharmac’s “options for investment” list for years and is considered a high priority drug – meaning it would fund it if it had the money.
Dr Trotman told Checkpoint Australia started funding daratumumab over four years ago.
“I know this because I’ve had so many patients now up to their 50th monthly dose,” she said.
“And yet New Zealanders are are still desperately trying on behalf of New Zealand myeloma patients to get access for it.
“It distresses me greatly that despite the unparalleled media and community focus on the need for modern blood cancer care in Aotearoa, there’s still no funding for daratumumab.”
Jo Neep receiving treatment in Australia in the past year.
Photo: Supplied
The lack of access to treatments like dara was turning not just patients into medical migrants, Dr Trotman said.
“I really feel there are so many other medical migrants, so many New Zealand doctors who are at the top of their game practising here and in North America who just can’t envisage returning because New Zealand is just so far behind in medicines access and access to the basic tools for a cancer specialist to practice.”
The healthcare system faced challenges attracting New Zealand doctors back as a result, Dr Trotman said.
“You know, it’s it’s in the Kiwi psyche to do your overseas stint, but people are just not coming back.”
Dr Trotman had also heard from doctors practising in Aotearoa.
“I talk all the time to New Zealand haematologists and it’s so heartbreaking to hear how they’re practising bare hands medicine. It’s so difficult to be seeing medicines that have been approved a decade ago elsewhere in the world, still not getting approved in New Zealand. I guess there’s there’s a lot of moral injury that I see, the New Zealand doctors dealing with in their day-to-day lives when they see see their patients suffering.”
Health Minister Simeon Brown said National was focused on ensuring all New Zealanders have access to timely, quality healthcare, and pointed to a “record investment” in health funding. He said a $604 million boost to Pharmac’s budget had funded 66 new medicines, of which six are for blood cancers.
Health Minister Simeon Brown said National was focused on ensuring all New Zealanders have access to timely and quality healthcare.
Photo: Calvin Samuel / RNZ
However, none are specifically for myeloma.
“(Of these) six medicines, three of them are just tinkering around the edges of the indications for greater access for a handful of of patients,” Dr Trotman said.
“Some of these (six new medicines) like bendamustine for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, you know, in a modern world of targeted therapies, we shouldn’t need to be giving chemotherapy to patients for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. They should be receiving their best therapies, these targeted enzyme inhibitors that keep them alive and living well and out of hospital. They should be receiving them first and second line, not third line.”
Dr Trotman said New Zealand’s approach was no longer fit for purpose.
“They are just so far behind in investing in cancer medicines. And I think the piece meal approach exampled by the six blood cancer medicines that that you listed that have recently been funded, is just no longer fit for purpose. It doesn’t optimise treatment sequencing and combinations for a patient-specific approach. You know New Zealand is so far behind that this is a crisis.”
Checkpoint put these concerns to Health Minister Simeon Brown. His office said they were questions for Pharmac.
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