Providing access to many medicines took as long as seven to 10 years in New Zealand, compared with six to 18 months in Australia and the UK. Photo / 123rf
Providing access to many medicines took as long as seven to 10 years in New Zealand, compared with six to 18 months in Australia and the UK. Photo / 123rf
A new independent report has found New Zealand patients experience significantly longer delays in accessing new medicines than comparable OECD countries.
The report, titled “Access to Innovative Pharmaceutical Medicines in New Zealand”, was presented in Parliament on Tuesday by Associate Health Minister David Seymour and revealed multi-year delays betweenMedsafe approval and Pharmac funding.
Access for many medicines in New Zealand took as long as 7-10 years, compared with 6-18 months in Australia and the UK.
The report also highlighted equity and system capacity challenges, with delays in access to medicine disproportionately affecting Māori, Pacific peoples and rural communities.
Many therapies funded in Australia and the UK are not funded in New Zealand, the report noted.
“Access to innovative medicines in New Zealand remains significantly behind many comparable nations, affecting the health outcomes and quality of life for many New Zealanders, particularly those with cancer, rare disorders and chronic conditions,” the report said.
According to the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research’s Health Priorities Report released in October last year, New Zealand spends around 0.4% of GDP on outpatient pharmaceuticals, among the lowest in the developed world and one-third of Australia’s spending (1.2%).
The report identified five priority areas for improvement:
Expand the pharmaceutical budget to match health needs and OECD benchmarks.
Improve transparency and embed structured, consistent clinician, patient and consumer engagement in health technology assessment (HTA) decision-making.
Modernise and improve Pharmac processes to build confidence and trust in the system (including prioritising improvements in the timeliness of assessment, decision-making and publication processes).
Prioritise health equity through co-design with Māori, Pacific peoples and underserved communities, including regional and remote populations.
Enhance national productivity and social return on investment by enabling timely access to effective medicines, reducing avoidable illness, hospitalisation and time off work.
Associate Health Minister David Seymour presented the report in Parliament on Tuesday. Photo / Alyse Wright
Seymour said the report “supports our direction, and I strongly agree with most of the points it makes”.
“The culture reset of Pharmac is off [to] a good start, but there is a lot of work to be done. We want to build a world-class health system, and that requires access to world-class medicines,” he said in a statement to the Herald.
“We’re listening to patients because that’s important to them. We’ve allocated Pharmac its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, and a $604 million uplift. Since November 1, 2023, Pharmac has made 122 decisions to fund or widen access to medicines. Over 200,000 patients have benefited.
“We aren’t stopping there. I will continue to work towards securing more money for Pharmac to get on with what they do best – funding the medicines Kiwis need to live longer and more fulfilling lives."
Asked about the report’s recommendation to prioritise health equity for Māori, Pacific peoples and underserved communities, Seymour said: “A recommendation to promote health equity by giving certain groups of people preferential treatment isn’t something I’m looking into. This Government has been very clear. Health services should be delivered based on need, not race.”
Owen Smith, general manager of pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb Australia and New Zealand, which commissioned the report, said significant reform is needed.
“There was a clear and strong consensus from those consulted that reform is necessary to improve access to medicines in New Zealand to support better outcomes for patients and, over time, help reduce pressure across the wider health system.”
Peter Boyes, author of the report, added: “The findings reflect consistent feedback from patients and clinicians that New Zealand’s medicines access system does not always keep pace with the speed of medical innovation seen overseas.
“This review is intended to support constructive, evidence-based discussion about how the system could evolve to better meet patient needs, while remaining transparent, equitable and fiscally responsible.”
