A New Breast Cancer Drug and Calls for Pharmac Funding w/ University of Auckland’s Andrew Shelling: 25 June, 2026

A breast cancer expert is calling for the drug abemaciclib to be publicly funded through Pharmac, saying it could improve long-term survival for some patients with early-stage breast cancer.

Abemaciclib is a targeted cancer medicine that can be added to endocrine therapy to reduce the risk of cancer returning and help prevent progression to incurable metastatic disease.

Producer Pranuja spoke with Professor Andrew Shelling about Abemaciclib, and what access to newer breast cancer treatments could mean for patients in Aotearoa.