Kiwis missing out on innovative medicines

Press release: Under embargo until 9AM, Thursday 19th March.

Kiwis missing out on innovative medicines

Compared to our Aussie cousins, Kiwi patients are denied access to innovative medicines. In the past 12 months, Australia listed 17 new medicines on their pharmaceutical schedule and New Zealand listed just one.

“New Zealanders are getting less than 13% of the new medicines that their Australian equivalents can obtain according to a new 2015 study just published in the Australian Health Review”, Medicines New Zealand General Manager Dr Graeme Jarvis said.

The study, which is an update of a previous study,* shows from 2009-2014 that 88% of new medicines available in Australia were still not available in New Zealand. Almost 10% of these medicines are for diseases for which there is no current treatment available in New Zealand.

The data also showed that the timeliness of the listing in New Zealand was slower than in Australia- it takes two years longer on average for PHARMAC to fund the same medicines available across the Tasman.

Sadly, the trend highlighted in this 2015 study shows no signs of improvement in the delay New Zealanders face getting access to innovative medicines in a timely fashion.

This study was undertaken as the debate In Australia continues around capping the spending on pharmaceuticals in a similar way to New Zealand’s PHARMAC.

“The study also highlighted that if positive health outcomes are to be achieved, the funding of medicines must consider better access to new pharmaceuticals and vaccines alongside benefits to patients and the health system, “ said Dr Jarvis.

ENDS:

Medicines New Zealand is the national industry association representing companies engaged in the research, development , manufacture and marketing of prescription medicines and vaccines.

2015 publication citation: Taylor C, and Wonder, M. (2015) Exploring the implications of a fixed budget for new medicines: a study of reimbursement of new medicines in Australia and New Zealand. Australian Health Review. Early online publication, March 2015.

* Wonder, M and Milne, R. (2011) Access to new medicines in New Zealand compared to Australia. New Zealand Medical Journal, 124: 12-28

The 2011 paper showed that over a 10 year period from 2000-2009 showed that of 136 new medicines listed in the Australian Schedule of Pharmaceuticals Benefits only 59 (43%) of those medicines were made available to New Zealanders during that same time period.

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