Over 6,000 People Will Benefit From Pharmac Funding Proposal If Approved

Pharmac – Te Pātaka Whaioranga plans to widen access to seven medicines benefitting over 6,000 people within the first 12 months of funding.

The proposal includes treatments for schizophrenia, low iron levels, constipation, and a type of psoriasis.

“If this proposal is approved, we’ll be able to make more medicines available for more people,” says Pharmac’s Senior Therapeutic Group Manager, Alexandra Compton.

“We’ve heard that people with schizophrenia who are at increased risk of adverse side effects with their current medicine, would benefit from the widened access to the aripiprazole long-acting injection.

“We know that these medicines would have a positive impact on peoples’ lives – and we’re looking for feedback on whether we have the proposed funding criteria right.

The proposed medicines are:

• aripiprazole depot (long-acting) injection for people with schizophrenia
• ferric carboxymaltose for iron deficiency anaemia in people with chronic inflammatory disease
• methylnaltrexone bromide for people with opioid induced constipation
• funded biologic treatments (adalimumab, etanercept, secukinumab, and infliximab) for people with people with a type of severe psoriasis.

Consultation on Pharmac’s funding proposal for these medicines is now open and will close on Tuesday 30 July. After the consultation feedback has been considered, Pharmac will decide whether to approve these medicines. If approved, these medicines are expected to be available from Friday 1 November.  

The Government provided additional funding to Pharmac in June 2024 to fund new medicines and to widen access to medicines that are already funded. The funding boost covers medicines for both cancer and non-cancer health conditions.

Proposal: To widen access to aripiprazole long-acting injection, ferric carboxymaltose, methylnaltrexone bromide, adalimumab, etanercept, secukinumab and infliximab.

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