• Coromandel police officer Will Hamilton, diagnosed with incurable blood cancer, urges government funding for the drug daratumumab.
• The drug, standard in 50 countries, costs $156,000 annually and is not funded by Pharmac.
• Advocacy groups have fought for eight years; Pharmac cites budget constraints, sparking renewed calls for funding.

A Coromandel police officer with incurable blood cancer claims “politics is costing lives” as he urges the Government to fund a life-saving drug in this year’s Budget.

In 2023, Will Hamilton, 40, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma – the second most diagnosed blood cancer in the country. It’s an incurable disease that, with the right medication, can be survived for years.

New Zealand patients currently face a lifetime of crowdfunding or moving overseas to get the treatment they need.

Hamilton’s haematologist says he needs daratumumab - a drug which is not funded in New Zealand, despite being the standard of care in 50 other countries. The first 12 months alone will cost an eye-watering $156,000.

Will Hamilton, 40, was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2023 - pictured with his fiancé, Amber, their first-born Jack (front) and son Harry in winter 2024. Photo / Supplied

First proposed to Pharmac back in 2017, daratumumab is not a new drug. Advocacy groups, drug companies, doctors and patients have been fighting to get it funded for eight years.

Their renewed call for government funding comes off the back of Pharmac’s March announcement that it will not fund daratumumab.

Hamilton said the decision was devastating.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll said it again - eight years later, we still have no movement, it’s pathetic,” he said.

According to Multiple Myeloma New Zealand, myeloma is the second most diagnosed blood cancer in the country, with 400 new cases diagnosed annually.

Like many other patients in New Zealand, Hamilton has had to turn to the public for help, something that goes against everything he knows as a police officer.

His long-time friend Anna Megaffin started a Givealittle page, which Hamilton believes should not be necessary if Pharmac paid more attention to people’s needs.

He said Pharmac’s cost-cutting strategy was getting more attention from the Government than what they needed to be doing.

Will Hamilton was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2023, pictured with his 18-month-old son, Harry, winter 2024. Photo / Supplied

“Politics is costing lives - internal shenanigans and internal problems clearly get more attention.”

Pharmac director of advice and assessment, Dr David Hughes, told the Herald the agency could not fund the drug with the current budget.

“The ranking of the updated proposal, and the budget currently available to us, unfortunately means we are not able to fund daratumumab at this time,” he said.

Hughes emphasised the drug is not off the table for future consideration, “should we receive further funding”.

Myeloma haematologist Rodger Tiedemann said in many respects, Pharmac was doing the best job it could to provide medicines to New Zealanders, but it simply was not funded enough.

 “As a result of the underfunding of Pharmac, there’s a lot more celebration of cost-cutting rather than celebration of bringing newer and better treatments to patients who need them.”

Some patients’ lives were being needlessly cut short, Tiedemann said.

“Patients die early, or they pack up their lives and move somewhere else,” he said.

Drug company Johnson and Johnson (Janssen-Cilag Pty Ltd) is urging the Government to “use its May budget to provide funding for the treatment”.

Commercial lead Hayden Paul said New Zealand patients have already waited too long for access to the treatment.

“Without funding, patients will continue to wait and this is unacceptable when the treatment is available in many countries globally and reimbursed overseas.”

Hamilton says myeloma patients can still contribute to society with the right treatment. He wants the Government to consider the economic benefits of investing in proper treatment.

Pharmac’s funding situation also impacts the decisions of companies wanting to invest here, Business NZ deputy chief executive Phil Love said.

“Businesses need certainty and the removal of red tape so that they can invest in capital and people, products, and innovation.

“I think we’ve got to make New Zealand as attractive as possible for companies to grow here and for overseas companies to invest here in the long term.”

Associate Health Minister David Seymour said he was unable to share whether Pharmac would receive further funding in the Budget.

Act leader David Seymour. Photo / Mark Mitchell

“In this Budget, I have advocated for more Pharmac funding, as anyone in my position should. The results of that advocacy will be revealed in the Budget, but cannot be announced now,” he said.

“Because Pharmac is independent, we need to respect their decisions within their fixed budget, while working to increase their budget.”