10,000 New Zealanders set to benefit from Pharmac budget increase
Thirteen new medicines funded from today will benefit thousands of New Zealanders with various health conditions including, cancer, schizophrenia, and skin infections.
Pharmac Chief Executive Sarah Fitt says the new medicines, coupled with medicines that were funded from 1 October, will provide treatment for an estimated 10,000 people in the first year they are funded.
“These medicines are going to make a real difference for people living with a range of health conditions and we’re delighted to be in a position to fund them,” she says.
The medicines are funded from the Government’s budget boost for Pharmac announced in June, and Fitt says Pharmac is now actively consulting on and making decisions about other medicines too.
“We have a number of medicine funding proposals at various stages of development and in the coming months we’ll see even more medicines funded and made available for tens of thousands of New Zealanders.”
The medicines funded from today include bendamustine for blood and bone marrow cancer, cetuximab for bowel cancer, nivolumab for kidney cancer, and pemetrexed for any cancer. They also include medicines for a range of non-cancer health conditions, such as schizophrenia, low iron levels, urinary tract infections, constipation, and severe psoriasis.
“We’re very grateful for the feedback we’ve received in our public consultations on these medicines. It gives us valuable insights into the health conditions people are living with and the medicines that matter for their treatment,” says Fitt.
Media releases and more information about the decisions
Cancer and other medicines: Track our progress to funding
First cancer medicine decision following Pharmac funding boost (9 September 2024)
5,700 people to benefit from widened access to funded medicines (17 September 2024)
Improved access to medicines for urinary tract infections and Parkinson's disease (24 September 2024)
Pharmac improves access to three cancer medicines (10 October 2024)