Global Sarcoma Therapy Now Approved For New Zealand Patients

Independent biopharmaceutical company, Specialised Therapeutics (ST), is pleased to announce that its portfolio therapy to treat rare soft tissue sarcoma cancers has now been approved in New Zealand. Medsafe has approved the use of YONDELIS (trabectedin) “for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic liposarcoma or leiomyosarcoma who received a prior anthracycline-containing regimen”. News of the Medsafe registration has been welcomed by oncologists and the New Zealand sarcoma community, who say it means patients whose disease has progressed will have access to a new line of therapy.

“Sarcoma is a relatively rare cancer and treatment options are limited for those with advanced disease,” said Associate Professor Jayesh Desai, Medical Oncologist and Deputy Chair of the Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association (ANZSA). “We welcome news that this therapy is formally approved for use in New Zealand and look forward to seeing advanced sarcoma patients being provided additional benefit.”

ANZSA Chief Executive Officer, Dr Denise Caruso, said: “YONDELIS is an established therapy that has already been used extensively around the world to treat advanced sarcoma patients. We welcome formal registration in New Zealand and expect that all eligible New Zealand patients will be provided access to this global treatment option.”

YONDELIS is already approved and has been available to patients in the United States since 2015 and in Europe since 2007. It was approved by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration in 2021.

ST Chief Executive Officer, Mr Carlo Montagner, commented: “We are pleased to achieve this milestone in New Zealand and look forward to providing patients with sarcoma with another valuable treatment option. We will continue working with the sarcoma community in New Zealand to ensure that YONDELIS is available at the earliest opportunity.”