Decision to list medical devices supplied by Fresenius Medical Care Australia Pty Limited

We are pleased to announce the approval of listing agreements for the supply of medical devices to DHBs.

What we’re doing

We are pleased to announce the approval of a listing agreement with Fresenius Medical Care  (“Fresenius”) for the supply of haemodialysis equipment and products to DHBs.

In summary this will result in:

  • Fresenius’ products being listed in Part III of Section H of the Pharmaceutical Schedule from 1 April 2021 under a national agreement that all DHBs may purchase under (“Agreement”); and
  • DHBs being able to continue to purchase other suppliers’ brands of haemodialysis equipment and products.

Any changes to the original proposal?

This decision was subject to a consultation letter dated 9 February 2021.

Based on feedback from a DHB, the units of measure for an Ultraflux product have been updated from 1 each to a box of 12; the price has remained the same.

Who we think will be most interested

  • DHB Staff
    • Haemodialysis staff
    • Procurement managers
    • Haemodialysis patients
  • Suppliers and wholesalers

Details about this decision

In February 2018, PHARMAC issued a Request for Proposal (“RFP”) for haemodialysis products for non-exclusive national agreements for listing on the Pharmaceutical Schedule.

After completing the RFP evaluation processes, and consulting on the provisional Agreement reached with Fresenius, PHARMAC has decided to list Fresenius’ medical devices in Part III of Section H of the Pharmaceutical Schedule from 1 April 2021.

The list of products will be available on PHARMAC’s website from 1 April 2021, in both PDF and Excel spreadsheet formats.

DHBs can continue to choose which haemodialysis products they purchase, including those from other suppliers. DHBs that purchase haemodialysis products from Fresenius must do so under the terms and conditions, including pricing, in the Agreement, from 1 April 2021.

The Agreement includes terms and conditions for training and education to be provided by Fresenius on the appropriate use of its products, which is to be provided at times as agreed with individual DHBs.

Our response to what you told us

We appreciate the time people took to respond to this consultation.

A summary of the main themes raised in feedback and our responses to the feedback are set out below:

Theme

Comment

Questioned UOM and pricing of product.

Clarification was provided to DHB Procurement teams.  

Noted previous issues with Fresenius regarding product supply and fault management.

PHARMAC will work with contracted suppliers to help manage product supply and fault issues. This agreement is not for sole supply and DHBs may choose to take account of supply performance when selecting providers.

Advised no technical or resource impacts are anticipated as a result of this proposal.

Noted.

Support and endorse the agreement.

Noted.

Questioned pricing impact of PPT arrangements.

Feedback was provided on the financial impact of this Agreement.

If you have any questions about this decision, you can email us at enquiry@pharmac.govt.nz; or call our toll free number (9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday) on 0800 66 00 50.