Letters | Ensure cancer patients’ access to more therapy options

Readers discuss how to help patients in long-term cancer management, concerns about Article 23 legislation, and why Hongkongers should cultivate a sense of gratitude

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A view of Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam. Providing access to novel classes of drugs used to treat chronic lymphocytic leukaemia would allow CLL patients who face financial difficulties and the Hospital Authority physicians who treat them to make informed choices. Photo: Winson Wong

Published: 11:30am, 27 Feb 2024

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I am writing in my role as a trustee of the Cypress Charitable Trust again, with a deep-seated commitment to enhancing the therapeutic landscape for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) in Hong Kong. Our efforts, which included letters to the editor published in the Post, have contributed to the inclusion of Venetoclax in the Hospital Authority Drug Formulary with safety net coverage, providing hope and tangible benefits to many. However, our mission continues.

CLL, a generally incurable and slow-growing blood cancer with higher incidence among adults aged over 50, demands a nuanced approach to treatment. The finite duration of Venetoclax-based treatment is certainly a milestone, but it is imperative to recognise that CLL’s disease trajectory can be highly variable.

The option of continuous therapy, which either Zanubrutinib or Venetoclax can provide, is equally critical. Like many cancers, CLL has the potential to develop resistance to treatment. Continuous therapy options like Zanubrutinib can be vital for patients who have developed resistance to initial treatments, for whom time-limited therapy is unsuitable, or for those who are able to maintain a regimen that suits their lifestyle and preferences without undue interruption.

Therefore, we urge the Hospital Authority to include Zanubrutinib in the formulary with safety net coverage, ensuring that all patients, regardless of their unique clinical circumstances, have access to the best possible care. Such an advancement would also align Hong Kong with world-leading standards for CLL therapy.

Oncologists elsewhere recognise the value of Zanubrutinib, as evidenced by the public access to this drug in the provincial formularies of Ontario and Quebec, Canada.