Schering-Plough reaches agreement on temozolomide

Schering-Plough and New Zealand’s drug management agency Pharmac have reached an agreement to fund brain tumour drug temozolomide.

Pharmac said in a statement that the agreement will see temozolomide prescribed to recently diagnosed sufferers of glioblastoma by May 1st, subject to a two week consultation and approval by the agency’s board.

The indication covers individuals who are undergoing radiotherapy, although Pharmac will also fund also temozolomide users after completing radiotherapy for at least six treatment cycles.

Temozolomide has been subject to controversy in the United Kingdom, after the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) refused to approve the drug for use in the National Health Service (NHS).

Dr Peter Moodie, medical director of Pharmac, said: “We recognise that this treatment represents an advance on currently available therapies for glioblastomas, and have moved quickly to progress our process for considering temozolomide.”

“The advice we had from our expert advisory committee PTAC was that temozolomide should have a high priority for funding. We are also aware that this was something patients and clinicians wanted to have available”.

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