New Zealand funding plans for Tarceva and Revolade

Following a consultation, New Zealand’s Pharmaceutical Management Agency PHARMAC said this morning that it has made a decision to approve a proposal to widen funded access to Swiss drug major Roche’s (ROG: SIX) Tarceva (erlotinib).

The effect of the decision is that, from January 1, 2014, the price and subsidy for erlotinib tablets 100mg will be NZ$1,133 ($925) compared to current price and subsidy of NZ$3,100, and NZ$1,700 versus NZ$3,950 for the 150mg dosage.

Funded access to erlotinib under Special Authority will be widened to include first line treatment for treatment naive patients with locally advanced, or metastatic, unresectable, non-squamous Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) expressing activating mutations of EGFR tyrosine kinase; and the Special Authority criteria for funding of erlotinib for the second line treatment will be amended to require a documentation of EGFR positive disease.