Dr. Richard E. Stein, Chairman of the Crohn’s & Colitis NZ Charitable Trust, has asked for our support to help share their petition for funding of a desperately needed medication.
Their petition asks for funding for a medication called ustekinumab (Stelara) that has been funded in Australia since 2015 and in 37 other countries around the world.
Without this medication, their patients who fail to respond to the treatment currently available in NZ, have no other option, but to undergo surgery, often requiring a permanent ostomy.
Compounding the issue is that surgery does not cure Crohn’s disease, and the majority of patients will face further surgeries in the future. Most of the patients are children, teens, and young adults and will have these incurable diseases for the rest of their lives.
The irony is that this medication will actually save money, especially when the cost of ED visits, lengthy hospitalisations, surgeries, and a lifetime of ostomy supplies are factored in. Most importantly, it does not take into account the pain, suffering, lost opportunities in education and the workplace, social isolation, difficulties conceiving, and raising young families.
Please show your support by signing the petition asking for funding of this vital medication at www.wecantwait.nz.