PHARMAC met this week with Vertex, a supplier of cystic fibrosis medicines, and with Medsafe, the safety and quality
regulator for medicines. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss Vertex’s modulator therapy and the process for this
type of treatment to be made available in New Zealand.
“We’re aware of the keen interest in this new treatment for people with cystic fibrosis, so we were pleased to be able
to meet to discuss next steps with a group of interested stakeholders,” says PHARMAC’s director of operations Lisa
Williams. “The meeting was valuable and productive, with Vertex confirming that they are actively working on
applications to both Medsafe and PHARMAC.
“We’ve invited the supplier, Vertex, to concurrently apply to Medsafe for marketing approval and to PHARMAC for funding
of their modulator therapy. Medsafe and PHARMAC would consider the applications in parallel.
“Patient advocacy groups have been asking the supplier to submit an application to PHARMAC for a while now. Parallel
assessment will allow our funding assessment process to start sooner than it normally would.
“We look forward to receiving detailed information in order to undertake a thorough and robust assessment of the funding
application. We will continue to actively engage and work closely with Vertex, Medsafe and the cystic fibrosis
community.
“We understand and appreciate that cystic fibrosis has a significant and distressing impact on those who have it and
their whānau. We remain committed to funding medicines that are proven to make a difference for people,” concludes Ms
Williams.
We currently assess funding applications, in parallel with Medsafe assessment, for rare disorders and cancer medicines; however our robust process for considering applications remains the same, namely:Our expert advisory committees consider all the evidence and make their recommendations to PHARMAC.PHARMAC then undertakes an economic assessment then compares the medicine with, and ranks it against, all other medicine
funding options using our decision-making framework - the Factors for Consideration.Medsafe marketing approval is generally required before a medicine can be progressed to funding.PHARMAC must have budget available before we can fund a new medicine.