Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he has not forgotten blood cancer patients but will give no assurance that a campaign commitment will be fulfilled.
Luxon promised that blood cancer patients would not be forgotten, something many suffering from the disease have called a 'broken promise'.
"I appreciate there'll be classes and categories of people that are still suffering and that would still love a range of medicines on a range of health issues across New Zealand, that's why we're working incredibly hard to grow our economy so we've got even more funding, more money going in," he said in response to questions from Checkpoint.
"I'm sure that there's more we can and will do."
National promised to close the medicine gap and Luxon said his government had delivered more than any other in recent history.
"We're delivering, we put $605 million into cancer drugs we've got 66 new cancer medicines or medicines that we didn't have before we made that investment. We've got six blood cancer drugs as I see it as part of that."
Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand said the six cancer blood cancer drugs the government had funded were only applicable to less than 1 percent of people suffering from the disease, and none of the six medicines were for treatment of myeloma.
Some myeloma patients have had to move to Australia to access treatment, while others have taken out their Kiwisaver to fund a life-prolonging medicine called daratumumab.
During the election campaign, National pledged to fund a list of medications for solid cancer tumours, and it was forced to make good on that following public backlash over a lack of action.
The prime minister remained resolute that since following through on that commitment, the government had delivered for cancer patients, but it wasn't up to him for when more would be delivered.
"Those are decisions for health and Pharmac and they'll continue to do that job.
"But I think we should be very proud as I talked to cancer victims up and down this country who have actually been really helped and had pain and suffering and life extended because of the commitment that this government made, that the previous government didn't make."
Luxon did not say whether the government would be funding further treatments for blood cancer patients.
"Go talk to the people that are now getting Keytruda funded through this government and through Pharmac and the life changing differences that that's made to many people up and down this country."
Malcolm Mulholland from Patient Voice Aotearoa. Photo:
Malcolm Mulholland from Patient Voice Aotearoa said blood cancer patients felt let down.
They had a "very real expectation" of additional funding to bridge the gap between the medicines funded in Australia and New Zealand.
"The prime minister, I think, has lied.
"I think words matter and I think in this instance, he needs to remember that we actually have the lives of patients in relation to what he does and does not say."
Mulholland said he knew of blood cancer patients that voted for National because of the promise.
"This is politicking, to my mind, of the worst kind.
"In very rare circumstances as the prime minister he will be making promises where lives are dependent on those promises being kept, and in this instance he hasn't kept a promise and therefore lives will be lost."
Blood cancer patients and their families needed certainty and if there was no intention to fund the drugs, they should be told so they can make decisions about their treatment, Mulholland said.
Many blood cancer patients spoken to by Checkpoint have said they didn't believe the government had done enough and shared stories of the personal - and financial - challenges they had faced.
Lani and Tawhai Reti. Photo: Supplied
Tawhai Reti was just 30 when he was diagnosed with myeloma, and had since undergone two stem cell transplants.
He is now starting on the last funded drug treatment available in New Zealand, but has been urged by doctors to consider daratumumab as soon as possible.
Daratumumab, or dara, is not currently funded in New Zealand, and Reti's family estimates the first year of treatment would cost between $220,000 to $240,000, a price they cannot afford.
The family is fundraising to travel to Australia, where the treatment is funded
Jo Neep. Photo: Supplied
Myeloma patient, Jo Neep told Checkpoint she felt she had no choice but to move to Australia to access dara.
"I moved because I wanted life."
In Australia dara costs Neep about $45 a dose. A Kiwi patient funding the drug privately pays $10,000 a dose.
"It's a no brainer. You just have to go."
Back in New Zealand, patients who don't want to uproot their life and cross the Tasman are cashing up hundreds of thousands.
Robert Moffitt, who was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2022, told Checkpoint he was forced to cash up his KiwiSaver to fund the treatment.
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