Health

Cancer drug costs funeral director $12,400 a month as pharmaceutical companies bypass Pharmac

A New Zealand funeral director is paying over $12,000 monthly for a cancer drug as global pharmaceutical companies stop seeking Pharmac funding.

Skinny McBuntu

A funeral director is facing substantial out-of-pocket expenses for cancer treatment, paying $12,400 each month for a drug that pharmaceutical companies are no longer seeking approval for through Pharmac. The situation highlights how cancer patients in New Zealand are missing out as global drug makers give up on securing funding from the country's pharmaceutical benefits scheme. This has left individuals to bear the full cost of treatments independently.

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Stuff

‘I’ve got to prepare my own funeral now’: Cancer drug costing funeral director $12,400 a month

Global drug companies giving up on Pharmac funding as Kiwi cancer patients miss out.

Read the full story at Stuff