RARE PHOTOS: Pharmac - The Real Truth

GPs can now prescribe ADHD medication – but big barriers to treatment remain

For years, adults seeking treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in New Zealand have faced a frustrating bottleneck.

The Conversation · Sep 30

NZ’s new medicines fast-track promises quicker approvals. But what about access?

A surge in severe respiratory illness has been placing New Zealand’s hospitals under intense pressure over recent weeks. While influenza has been the main driver, rhinovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have also contributed to the unusually high patient load.

The Conversation · Sep 2

Demand for menopause hormone therapy is on the rise – but training gaps remain for doctors

Higher awareness of the benefits of menopause hormone therapy (MHT) has led to rising demand for treatment – so much so that manufacturers can’t keep up and New Zealand’s drug-funding agency Pharmac had to temporarily ration supplies.

The Conversation · Jun 8

Dear Pharmac – do things differently: what David Seymour’s expectations could mean for the drug-buying agency

Associate Health Minister David Seymour’s recent letter of expectations to drug buying agency Pharmac could fundamentally change the way the organisation makes decisions. Some of these changes could also make Pharmac’s job harder and its decisions more unpopular.

The Conversation · Jul 22, 2024

Ethnicity, equality and Pharmac: how the Treaty really guides NZ’s drug-buying policies

Reports that Associate Minister of Health David Seymour has told Pharmac, the pharmaceutical purchasing agency, to “stop factoring Te Tiriti o Waitangi into its decisions” aren’t strictly accurate.

The Conversation · Jul 19, 2024

A funding boost for NZ’s drug-buying agency Pharmac to pay for cancer drugs is welcome – but it won’t solve underlying issues

This week the coalition government made a significant investment in Pharmac, increasing funding by NZ$604 million over the next four years.

The Conversation · Jun 27, 2024

Flu vaccines are no longer free for all under-12s in NZ – children living in poverty and at higher risk will bear the brunt

New Zealand’s decision to no longer offer free influenza vaccines for all children under 12 will likely wipe out recent gains in uptake. And it will disproportionately affect those living in deprived areas and with a high risk of disease.

The Conversation · May 20, 2024

New Zealanders are learning to live with COVID – but does that mean having to pay for protection ourselves?

I’m writing this with a dull ache in my left arm, sore from my third COVID booster. My second was in April when I also got a flu vaccination, which was funded by my employer. The arrival of the fifth wave of COVID in Aotearoa New Zealand, as well as…

The Conversation · Dec 14, 2023

With ACT and NZ First promising to overhaul Pharmac, what’s in store for publicly funded medicines?

Never before has Pharmac – the government’s medicine procurement agency and decision maker – featured so prominently in an election.

The Conversation · Oct 11, 2023

Pharmac prioritised Māori and Pacific patients for access to new diabetes drugs – did they get it right?

The controversial 2021 decision by the government drug-buying agency Pharmac to prioritise Māori and Pacific patients in its funding of two game-changing new diabetes drugs appears to have paid off.

The Conversation · Mar 19, 2023