Apellis, the manufacturer of Syfovre for the treatment of geographic atrophy secondary to dry AMD, has partnered with a local supplier to make the treatment easier to access in New Zealand, despite a lack of Medsafe approval.

The pegcetacoplan injection Syfovre was approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration in Australia in January 2025, explained Luke Garrick, general manager, Apellis Australia and New Zealand. “It also received a positive recommendation for PBS listing from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee in November 2025. We are currently working with the [Ministry] of Health to secure national funding of this medicine as soon as possible.”

However, although Syfovre is available for named-patient supply in New Zealand, Apellis does not have the evaluation reports required by Medsafe to support an abbreviated Medsafe submission, said Garrick. “We have had communications with Medsafe that they will not accept the FDA evaluation report. Additionally, we do not have resources available at this stage to undertake a full Medsafe evaluation.”

Apellis has recently partnered with Orspec Pharma, which can provide cold chain supply of Australian stock to New Zealand, rather than coming through Bionical Emas in Europe, said Garrick. For local pricing information, email customerservicenz@orspecpharma.com.