PHARMAC to fund Erbitux for head and neck cancer in NZ

2 January 2018

Funding cetuximab for patients with head and neck cancer will be a significant advance for treating this type of cancer in New Zealand, says Sarah Fitt, director of operations at the Pharmaceutical Management Agency PHARMAC.

Marketed in New Zealand by Merck Serono Australia, a subsidiary of Germany’s Merck KGaA (MRK: DE), as Erbitux, cetuximab will be available from February 1, 2018 as an additional treatment option for people with locally advanced, non-metastatic head and neck cancer who are unable to use the current standard chemotherapy treatment, cisplatin.

Cetuximab is an infusion given in tandem with radiation therapy. PHARMAC expects that 40-50 people will be eligible for treatment every year.

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