If accepted, the combination therapies could be available as first line treatments from May this year.
Associate Health Minister David Seymour said today that CLL was not curable, but the right treatment meant patients could achieve longer lasting remission and avoid the need for traditional chemotherapy.
He said Pharmac heard from the blood cancer community these combination therapies would make a big difference for people with CLL, "especially when used at the beginning of treatment".
It comes after public backlash following Budget 2024 failing to include promised funding for more cancer drugs, forcing the government to subsequently announce an extra $604 million for Pharmac over four years.
Since then, the government has funded seven blood cancer drugs, but in September last year some blood cancer patients were still saying the government was breaking its promise on life-saving drugs.
Blood Cancer New Zealand said at the time only 180 patients benefited from that uplift, less than 1% of all New Zealanders with a blood cancer.
Seymour said today that people currently paying privately for these combinations could receive funded treatment in a private hospital, provided they meet the funding criteria at the time they began treatment.
"These combination medicines will be the second and third cancer medicines available in private clinics.
"When Pharmac fund a new cancer treatment, people already paying for that treatment privately are forced to make a very difficult choice: spend their savings to continue private treatment undisrupted, or transfer to a public hospital," Seymour said.
He explained that patients had told Pharmac it was hugely disruptive and caused "significant stress during an immensely difficult period".
Health Minister Simeon Brown said the government was committed to improving treatment and care for New Zealanders with cancer, including blood cancer.
"This announcement means more Kiwis with blood cancer will have access to medicines that improve their quality of life and help them live longer, fuller lives.
"We are also significantly expanding stem cell transplant services for patients with blood cancers and related conditions, helping more people access critical, life-saving treatment sooner."
Consultation opens today and closes on March 4. If approved, funding would begin from May 1 this year.
