Patients at funding centre
March 28, 2014
Cancer groups have said patient
needs should be “front and centre”
of treatment funding decisions and
pharmacists can play a central role
in these discussions.
Groups at the Cancer Drugs
Alliance Stakeholder Forum this
week, included Bowel Cancer
Australia, Leukaemia Foundation
and Lung Foundation Australia.
Rare Cancers Australia co-founder
Richard Vines said the forum had
called for a co-ordinated effort by
consumer groups to make sure
patient needs were foremost when
deciding what treatments should
be funded, as well as for a more
transparent and easily understood
process.
“So if a patient is to be denied
funding for their treatment it’s
important that they can easily
understand why.”
Vines said pharmacists were
important community touch
points and could play a central
role in discussions, as they were
very knowledgeable about cancer
medicines and could play an
educational role in upskilling the
community on these, particularly
newer medications, he said.
“We would really like to see
pharmacists play a central role in
running community information
sessions on cancer medications for
instance.”
The forum heard that patients in
Canada were consulted before full
assessment of a new therapy was
made, allowing them to provide
their considerations before the
submission and review process
began, he said.
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