A Whanganui man who campaigned for funding for a melanoma drug is delighted the Government has decided to fund the treatment.
Pharmaceutical company MSD announced on Tuesday it had signed a provisional agreement with Pharmac, the government drug-buying agency, to fully fund pembrolizumab, known as Keytruda.
The agreement is subject to approval from Pharmac's board.
Keytruda is used in the treatment of melanoma which cannot be removed by surgery alone or when it has spread to multiple sites in the body.
The news was welcomed by Ross Fallen, who was at Parliament in March when an 11,000-signature petition calling for the Government to boost funding to Pharmac so it could subsidise the drug was presented to Health Minister Jonathan Coleman.