New Zealand agrees to fund Iressa but amends Tarceva use

5 July 2012

New Zealand’s pharmaceutical management agency PHARMAC has approved the proposal to fund AstraZeneca’s (LSE: AZN) Iressa (gefitinib) and to amend the Special Authority criteria applying to Roche’s (ROG: SIX) Tarceva (erlotinib). This was the subject of a consultation letter dated May 31, 2012.

In summary, the effect of the decision is that:

• from August 1, 2012, Iressa will be funded as a first line treatment for patients with locally advanced, or metastatic, unresectable, non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) expressing activating mutations in Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase.

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