On 31 October 2024, New Zealand’s drug funding body, Pharmac, announced that it is seeking feedback on a proposal to broaden the reimbursement for Amgen’s denosumab products Xgeva® and Prolia®.
Both Xgeva® (70mg/ml solution for injection, for various bone-related cancer indications) and Prolia® (60mg/ml, for severe osteoporosis) are approved in New Zealand, but only Prolia® is currently funded by Pharmac. The Pharmac proposal would result in a new strength and presentation of Xgeva® (120 mg solution for injection) being listed for hypercalcaemia associated with cancer from 1 February 2025 and widened access to Prolia®, for more people with osteoporosis, from 1 March 2025 (in both cases subject to eligibility criteria).
Pharmac reports that the expansion could benefit 1,900 people initially, growing to 12,500 within five years.
Public consultation on the proposal is open until 14 November 2024.