1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,800 Speaker 1: As predicted, Health New Zealand has now backtracked on its 2 00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:05,160 Speaker 1: decision to block early access to key Truder for some 3 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:08,280 Speaker 1: cancer patients. What happened is that the drug company offered 4 00:00:08,280 --> 00:00:11,040 Speaker 1: twenty to thirty patients the chance to start the treatment 5 00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:14,080 Speaker 1: now before the official rollout in October, but Health New 6 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:16,800 Speaker 1: Zealand told oncologists not to accept the offer. It's now 7 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:19,280 Speaker 1: changed its mind. Chief Clinical Officer for Health New Zealand 8 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:22,919 Speaker 1: is Richard Sullivan. Have Richard, oh C, why'd you change 9 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:23,279 Speaker 1: your mind? 10 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:24,919 Speaker 2: Yeah? 11 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 3: Look, first, Header, just make a call out to ready 12 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:31,159 Speaker 3: this fantastic opportunity for all of our patients and families. A. 13 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:35,519 Speaker 3: The decision to fund signific a ount of cancer drugs 14 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:38,960 Speaker 3: for our patients is really important. And the reason I 15 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:41,440 Speaker 3: start there is because we've been doing a lot of 16 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:44,279 Speaker 3: planning since that decision was made and so looking at 17 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:48,280 Speaker 3: as these drugs will come into the system. And so 18 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:51,440 Speaker 3: we've got, as you probably where, a collection of six 19 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:53,480 Speaker 3: or seven drugs that are coming online on the first 20 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:57,200 Speaker 3: of October, for one of which is pemberlism mayor or Katruda, 21 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:01,640 Speaker 3: which is an IV therapy, and there are several patient 22 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:05,080 Speaker 3: groups that will obviously bene from that drug, So we 23 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:08,480 Speaker 3: were sort of working towards making that work, making that 24 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:10,920 Speaker 3: safe for all, making sure we had that all available 25 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:14,720 Speaker 3: on the first of October, and recognize that seven weeks 26 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:18,920 Speaker 3: away when a patient gets seen, they often if a 27 00:01:18,959 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 3: patients referred, takes us a few weeks to see them, 28 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:24,320 Speaker 3: to go through the treatment plan with them, and then 29 00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:27,040 Speaker 3: obviously to put them into the wait list for treatment, 30 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:28,160 Speaker 3: which takes another few weeks. 31 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:30,479 Speaker 2: So I guess that had been our focus. 32 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:35,080 Speaker 3: But really after reaching out to our clinical colleagues and 33 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:38,920 Speaker 3: our cancer centers, recognizing that you know, the number of 34 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:40,959 Speaker 3: patients that you know we could bring it early under 35 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:43,679 Speaker 3: this access program as a small number, we felt that 36 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 3: the system could could do that. At the same time 37 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:47,840 Speaker 3: as we put the planning in to make sure we're 38 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:48,760 Speaker 3: getting right to the first of. 39 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:51,160 Speaker 1: October, how quickly can you get these twenty to thirty 40 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:52,600 Speaker 1: being treated for free. 41 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:56,280 Speaker 2: So that the program's open now. 42 00:01:56,720 --> 00:01:58,920 Speaker 3: This is an access program where the drug company, the 43 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:01,880 Speaker 3: farmer company, provides it's the drug, the dose of drug 44 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 3: for free and in a seven week period. If a 45 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:06,400 Speaker 3: patients start in the next week or two, then they 46 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:08,880 Speaker 3: might receive one or two doses over that period of time. 47 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:12,880 Speaker 3: Most of these patients, well, some of these patients will 48 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:14,920 Speaker 3: be on other treatment plans at the moment, so we 49 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:17,200 Speaker 3: will be able to see them when they come up 50 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 3: to their next appointment and then shift them across into 51 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 3: the system under the new drug. But many of these 52 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 3: patients will be referred into the system, so obviously they'll 53 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:28,639 Speaker 3: go into the into the process. Things really important that 54 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:31,200 Speaker 3: we make sure that we provide us all our patients 55 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:34,079 Speaker 3: based on clinical need, so they'll get referred and to 56 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:37,519 Speaker 3: see a cancer specialist. That might take as I say, 57 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:39,280 Speaker 3: a couple of weeks, it may take up to four 58 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 3: or five in some centers, and then you know, we'll 59 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:43,359 Speaker 3: start them soon after that. 60 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:47,080 Speaker 1: I remained a little bit confused as to why you 61 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 1: guys said no in the first place. Is it because 62 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:51,040 Speaker 1: you thought that it would take them a few weeks 63 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:52,679 Speaker 1: in like it would take them the full seven weeks 64 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 1: anyway to get into the system, so you may as 65 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:55,680 Speaker 1: well not started early. 66 00:02:57,360 --> 00:02:59,040 Speaker 2: Look, look, that's a component of it. 67 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:02,760 Speaker 3: I think that the focus was, you know, making sure 68 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:04,840 Speaker 3: that this is not about one drug, this is about 69 00:03:04,919 --> 00:03:08,360 Speaker 3: multiple drugs, and it's about equity, making sure that all 70 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:12,240 Speaker 3: our patients get the same level of access to care 71 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 3: in my day job, so to speak, on my other 72 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:17,400 Speaker 3: day job, on a clinical culture, so I look after 73 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:19,920 Speaker 3: patients with lung cancer, brain tumor, So I use these 74 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:24,800 Speaker 3: drugs regularly, and so have these conversations with patients and 75 00:03:24,800 --> 00:03:25,640 Speaker 3: families all the time. 76 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:28,240 Speaker 1: When you say equity, are you telling me that in 77 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:31,240 Speaker 1: order to not in order for everybody to start at 78 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:33,400 Speaker 1: the same time, you didn't want to give some people 79 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:35,839 Speaker 1: a little bit of an early start because it's more 80 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 1: men to let everybody start at the same time. 81 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:40,520 Speaker 2: No, no, no, no, that's not what I meant at all. 82 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:42,200 Speaker 2: So I guess that. 83 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:46,240 Speaker 3: So, if a patient can get access to a drug, 84 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:48,240 Speaker 3: you want to make sure that they get the access 85 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:51,000 Speaker 3: based on the clinical need and based on going into 86 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:53,200 Speaker 3: a system, so that they don't jump ahead, for instance, 87 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:56,080 Speaker 3: of another patient who's been waiting for a different drug 88 00:03:57,560 --> 00:03:59,400 Speaker 3: or a different treatment, and so you want to make 89 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:02,160 Speaker 3: sure that get sex so clinical access to. 90 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 1: Say, allowing these twenty to thirty and who've obviously been 91 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 1: selected by the drug company, are they going to displace 92 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: other people? 93 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 3: Well, we're going to ensure they don't. So we're going 94 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 3: to ensure which is part of the planning. We have 95 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:15,040 Speaker 3: to do, hey, to make sure that they come in 96 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:18,480 Speaker 3: at the appropriate space for the type of cancer they 97 00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 3: have and the clinical needed. 98 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:21,600 Speaker 1: You could do all the stuff. Why do you guys 99 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:22,760 Speaker 1: say no in the first place? 100 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:27,880 Speaker 3: Yeah, look, Heather, as I say, and it's always retrospectively 101 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 3: to look back and go, gosh, you know, we could 102 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:33,560 Speaker 3: have made a different decision four days ago. I guess 103 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:36,480 Speaker 3: we made the decision at the time based on you know, 104 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:39,120 Speaker 3: the few weeks it is to get the system working, 105 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:41,920 Speaker 3: to make sure it works Geary for all. But as 106 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:46,359 Speaker 3: I say, we're very happy and supportive to make this 107 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:49,799 Speaker 3: work for the smaller of patients you say, who should 108 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:51,280 Speaker 3: be able to get access to their treatment a few 109 00:04:51,279 --> 00:04:51,839 Speaker 3: weeks earlier. 110 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:53,920 Speaker 1: All right, Richard, listen, Thank you, I appreciate your time. 111 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:56,800 Speaker 1: That's Richard Sullivan, the chief clinical officer at Health New Zealand. 112 00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:00,800 Speaker 1: For more from Hither duplessy Ellen Drive, listen live to 113 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:03,960 Speaker 1: news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow 114 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:05,760 Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio.