NZ Ill-Equipped for Decisions on New Cancer Drugs

MEDIA RELEASE

Cancer Control New Zealand
(formerly the Cancer Control Council of New Zealand)

Friday 12 February 2010

New Zealand Unprepared And Ill-Equipped for Decisions on New Cancer Drugs And Treatments

The Government has been advised of significant shortcomings in access, adoption and decision making around new cancer treatments for New Zealanders – with major change recommended.

Cancer Control New Zealand (formerly the Cancer Control Council of New Zealand) has provided independent advice to the Minister of Health in the report “Coming Ready or Not: Planning for Cancer Innovations” (http://cancercontrolcouncil.govt.nz/files/Innovations%20Report.pdf). The report looks at whether the health system has what it needs to identify, plan and prepare for innovations in cancer interventions in a robust and systematic way.

“The report concludes that New Zealand has problems today with the adoption of cancer innovations, and this will only get worse in the next decade unless change occurs now,” says Professor Chris Atkinson, Chair of Cancer Control New Zealand.

Cancer Control New Zealand recommends that an independent group or organisation be established to ensure:
• fair and equitable access to cancer innovations;
• decisions are well supported and timely; and
• to ensure best health outcomes given the funding available.
The independent group would advise on the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of innovations, and whether public funding should be committed. This group would not be responsible for pharmaceutical cancer treatments. This assessment would be continued by Pharmac.

“We believe this report is very timely and look forward to working with the new National Health Board and National Health Committee to give effect to the recommendations,” says Professor Atkinson.

“Over the next ten years there will be major developments in cancer treatments. These will challenge current models of service delivery and strain health care resources. A new approach is needed,” he says.

“Currently cancer innovations are not adopted fairly across New Zealand with different decisions at a local level. This “postcode lottery” for access to cancer treatments must be addressed.”

The Coming Ready or Not: Planning for Cancer Innovations report concludes that:
• New Zealand’s current rate of adoption of cancer innovations is unlikely to keep pace with demand or current budgets;
• inequities in access to, and adoption of, innovations in cancer treatment exist across the country;
• decision making processes for assessing and prioritising cancer innovations across the health system are inconsistent;
• New Zealand is out of step with international developments;
• attempts to improve current arrangements have not been successful; and
• there is a lack of awareness of how decisions to fund cancer treatments are made and why.

The report’s executive summary including the full list of recommendations is available here (http://cancercontrolcouncil.govt.nz/files/Innovations%20Report.pdf).

“The “Coming Ready or Not: Planning for Cancer Innovations” report recommendations generally mirror those in the Meeting the Challenge report into the health system, providing a detailed example – cancer treatment and innovations - of the issues we face and why change is needed,” says Professor Atkinson.

The report has been presented to the Minister of Health and to the National Health Board.

Cancer Control New Zealand is a Ministerial Advisory Committee providing an independent and sustainable focus on cancer control through strategic advice to the Minister of Health.

ENDS

A full copy of the report is available from www.cancercontrolcouncilgovt.nz.

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