Cancer medicine pulled

Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca says it will withdraw its prostate and breast cancer drug Zoladex from the New Zealand market, following a funding cut by Government drug agency Pharmac.

The company says Pharmac is cutting by 20 per cent its subsidy on the 10.8 mg three-month dose, which is currently being used by just over half of the country's estimated 2000 late-stage prostate cancer patients. The subsidy cut will take effect January 1.

In New Zealand, Zoladex and Lucrin are the two drugs available for late-stage prostate cancer patients.

AstraZeneca says Pharmac has confirmed that the maker of Lucrin, Abbott Laboratories, agreed to the subsidy cut as part of a deal. In exchange, Pharmac would fund Abbott Laboratories' rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira, and guarantee security of supply for Lucrin at the reduced price until January 2008.

"In our view, the key issue for clinicians and patients is that Pharmac has come to a decision that assumes the two drugs are clinically equivalent, even though concerns have been raised that no direct evidence has been cited to demonstrate Lucrin's effect on survival," said AstraZeneca New Zealand general manager Lance Gravatt.

"Cancer patients will be denied access to a medicine proven to extend life and approved for use across a broad range of stages of prostate cancer not just palliative use in advanced disease. We regret being forced to take this decision and have repeatedly urged Pharmac to reconsider its position and attempt to reach a resolution with AstraZeneca."