New Zealand to fund Vidaza and Revlimid

13 August 2014

New Zealand’s Pharmaceutical Management Agency PHARMAC says it has approved a proposal for funding two oncology products - azacitidine (Vidaza), lenalidomide (Revlimid) and thalidomide (Thalomid), both from US biotech major Celgene (Nasdaq: CELG) - that were the subject of a consultation letter of June 26.

In summary, the effect of the decision is that from September 1:

Vidaza 100mg injection and 1 mg for ECP will be funded for patients with intermediate-2 or high risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) or MDS-associated acute myeloid leukemia (AML); and
Revlimid 10mg and 25mg capsules will be funded for patients with relapsed refractory multiple myeloma (MM); and
The price and subsidy for thalidomide (Thalomid) 50mg and 100mg capsules will be reduced.

This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.

Try before you buy

Free

7 day trial access

Take a Free Trial

All the news that moves the needle in pharma and biotech
Exclusive features, podcasts, interviews, data analyses and commentary from our global network of life sciences reporters.
Receive The Pharma Letter daily news bulletin, free forever.

Become a subscriber

£820

Or £77 per month

Subscribe Now

Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription

The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed

Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK