PHARMAC has announced it is to fund a taxane drug for use in early stage breast cancer.

The decision to fund Paclitaxel from tomorrow is expected to see up to 550 women with early breast cancer treated with the medicine.

Taxanes are a class of chemotherapeutic drug funded for a number of cancers including ovarian, fallopian and metastatic breast cancer.

Medical Director Peter Moodie says clinical data show using taxanes can help women with breast cancer live longer.

The widened funding will cost DHBs 12.5 million over five years.

Earlier this year PHARMAC decided not to fund Herceptin for early stage breast cancer sufferers.