On 12 February 2025, New Zealand’s Pharmac announced that, from 1 March 2025, it will extend funding of Celltrion’s Vegzelma®, biosimilar to Roche/Genentech’s Avastin® (bevacizumab), for patients with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, ocular conditions, liver cancer and advanced ovarian cancer.
Pharmac has also awarded Vegzelma® “principal supply status”, meaning it will be the main funded brand of bevacizumab in the New Zealand public health system until at least 31 August 2028. All patients with recurrent papillomatosis are required to transition to Celltrion’s bevacizumab product by 1 August 2025, but “any brand” of bevacizumab will continue to be funded in public hospitals for patients with ocular conditions.
In the same announcement, Pharmac also reported that greater funding will be directed to Roche’s Tecentriq® (atezolizumab) for use in combination with bevacizumab for patients with liver cancer.