Pharmac widens access to two melanoma medicines

7 April 2026

Media release Medicines

	At a glance:
Pharmac is widening access to two medicines for people with melanoma from 1 May 2026.
Nivolumab with ipilimumab will be funded for people with stage 3B to stage 4 melanoma that can be removed with surgery.
This provides an additional funded immunotherapy option and means some people may need less treatment and fewer infusions.

Pharmac will widen access to two melanoma medicines, giving New Zealanders another funded immunotherapy option and reducing the amount of treatment some people may need.

From 1 May 2026, people with stage 3B to stage 4 melanoma that can be removed with surgery will be eligible for funded nivolumab and ipilimumab before surgery.

“Nivolumab and ipilimumab are immunotherapy medicines that help the immune system fight melanoma,” says Pharmac’s Manager of Pharmaceutical Funding, Claire Pouwels. “Funding these medicines gives people another effective treatment option.”

Clinical advice provided to Pharmac shows that these treatments can reduce the risk of melanoma coming back. Around two in three people have a respond strongly to treatment by the time their tumour is removed, with significant tumour shrinkage or very little active disease remaining.

“For many people, that response means they may not need further treatment after surgery,” says Pouwels. “For patients and their whānau, that can mean fewer infusions, fewer hospital visits, and less time spent in treatment.”

Because some people will not require ongoing treatment after surgery, this decision is expected to reduce demand on hospital oncology infusion services. Pharmac expects this change will save around 1,000 infusion hours each year, helping reduce pressure on hospital oncology infusion centres and freeing up capacity for others who need care.

Pharmac currently funds pembrolizumab (Keytruda) as the only immunotherapy option for melanoma that can be removed with surgery. Funding nivolumab and ipilimumab provides another funded immunotherapy choice for people.

Around 155 people will receive this treatment in the first year, increasing to about 166 people per year after five years. Most people who receive this treatment would otherwise have received funded pembrolizumab.

“We heard from people with melanoma, their whānau, clinicians and advocacy groups about what access to a treatment option with fewer infusions could mean,” says Pouwels. “Most people supported widening access and told us it could make a meaningful difference for patients and their support networks.”

“Some people asked if access could be widened further to include different types of melanoma. While we weren’t able to do that as part of this decision, we will seek further clinical advice to understand the potential impact of wider access in the future.”

Nivolumab and ipilimumab are already approved for use in New Zealand and are funded for some other cancers.

Decision to widen access to nivolumab and ipilimumab for resectable melanoma

What is Pharmac doing?

Why is Pharmac doing it?

Clinical advice shows that treating melanoma before surgery, improves outcomes.

Using nivolumab with ipilimumab before surgery has been shown to:

Lower the chance of melanoma coming back, and work better than using nivolumab alone after surgery, with around two in three people having a very strong response by the time their tumour is removed.
Reduce the amount of treatment many people need after surgery, meaning fewer ongoing infusions, fewer hospital visits, and less time spent receiving treatment for patients, families, and carers.
Ease pressure on hospital services, as fewer infusions are needed overall, saving an estimated 1,000 infusion hours each year and freeing up resources in oncology infusion centres.

What are nivolumab and ipilimumab?

Nivolumab and ipilimumab are immunotherapy medicines, also known as immune checkpoint inhibitors.

They work by blocking specific checkpoint pathways that normally limit the immune response, allowing the immune system to better recognise and attack cancer cells.

When used together, they have a greater effect on the immune response than when used alone.

Both medicines are given by intravenous infusion, are approved by Medsafe, and are already funded in New Zealand for some other cancers.

What is melanoma?

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that develops in melanocytes, the cells that give skin its colour. It is caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.

New Zealand has the highest recorded incidence of melanoma in the world, with over 7,000 people diagnosed each year, including more than 3,000 cases of invasive melanoma.

Stage 3 melanoma means the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes or nearby skin.
Stage 4 melanoma means the cancer has spread to more distant parts of the body.

What feedback did you receive?

We received 12 responses from people with melanoma, their families and whānau, clinicians, and advocacy groups.

Most people supported widening access, telling us that a shorter treatment course with fewer infusions could mean fewer hospital visits for them and their support systems.

Key themes

Some people raised concerns about moving from private to publicly funded treatment, particularly if treatment is delayed.
Others asked whether access could be widened further to include other types of melanoma.

Our response

For people eligible for transitional access, Pharmac will consider extending funded access beyond 12 months on a case‑by‑case basis if delays mean treatment can’t be completed within the usual timeframe. We will be directly communicating with private providers how extended funding will be enabled.
While access could not be widened to other melanoma types as part of this decision, Pharmac will seek further clinical advice to understand the potential impact of wider access in the future.