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PHARMAC has announced it will go out for funding proposals for fulvestrant (Faslodex) for breast cancer. PHARMAC also called for tenders for a CDK 4/6 inhibitor (palbociclib (Ibrance) or ribociclib (Kisqali)). Both are needed to extend the lives of women with advanced hormone-receptor (HR) positive HER2 negative breast cancer; 61% of women have this subtype of breast cancer and could benefit from these medicines.

PHARMAC has announced it will soon fund breast cancer cancer medicine trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla), which is needed for women with the second most common subtype, HER2 positive breast cancer. This is fantastic news!

Sue Wall-Cade and Tracy Barr-Smith are among the leaders of a push for better treatment for women with advanced breast cancer, also known as Stage 4 breast cancer. They want better drugs and a review of PHARMAC.

Holding back tears and facing a panel of MPs, breast cancer fighter Wiki Mulholland was a woman on a mission – fighting to get two life-extending breast cancer drugs funded by Pharmac.