Agreement with N Stenning & Co NZ Limited for the supply of valvuloplasty balloon catheters
PHARMAC is pleased to announce the approval of an agreement with N Stenning & Co NZ Limited (N Stenning) for the supply of valvuloplasty balloon catheters.
This was the subject of a consultation letter dated 12 June 2015.
In summary, the effect of the decision is that:
- a range valvuloplasty balloon catheters will be listed in Section H, Part III, (‘Optional Pharmaceuticals’) of the Pharmaceutical Schedule from 1 August 2015
- DHB hospitals can purchase these items either directly from N Stenning or through a designated third party logistics provider under the national agreement
- the national agreement will deliver savings for the DHBs that currently use these products.
Details of the decision
Following a Registration of Interest document issued in April 2014, PHARMAC has entered into an agreement with N Stenning for the supply of a selection of valvuloplasty balloon catheters to be listed on the Pharmaceutical Schedule. This means that DHB hospitals may purchase these products under the national agreement at the new pricing.
The list of products is available on PHARMAC’s website, in both a PDF document and a series of Excel spreadsheets.
There are estimated savings to DHBs that currently use these products of approximately $10,000 per annum nationally, based on current usage.
The agreement is not exclusive. DHBs can continue to purchase other brands of valvuloplasty balloon catheters at their discretion.
Educational services will be provided by N Stenning to DHB personnel on appropriate use of its valvuloplasty balloon catheters and will be arranged in a format and times as agreed with individual DHBs.
Feedback received
PHARMAC appreciates all of the feedback that it has received and acknowledges the time people took to respond. All consultation responses received by 3 July 2015 were considered in their entirety in making a decision on the proposed changes. All responses were supportive of the proposal. The following issues were raised in relation to specific aspects of the proposal:
| Theme | Comment |
|---|---|
| It was noted that the units (UOM) provided in the pricing schedule for DHBs were incorrect. | PHARMAC staff have corrected the UOM on the proposed pricing schedule and have resent the revised document to all DHBs. |
More information
If you have any questions about this decision you can email PHARMAC at enquiry@pharmac.govt.nz or call our toll free number (9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday) on 0800 66 00 50.