Latest news with #Pharmac
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Private use of publicly-funded cancer drugs will widen inequities, doctors warn
By Ruth Hill of RNZ A move to allow private patients to access publicly-funded cancer drugs threatens to increase wait times for those in the public system, warn senior doctors. Under "transitional access", which comes into effect on July 1, private patients who are already receiving treatment - or about to start treatment - with a newly funded medicine will not have to shift to the public system for 12 months. Associate Health Minister David Seymour, who has championed the rule change, said it would lessen stress on private patients by enabling continuity of care, and pressure on the public system which would no longer have to deal with a sudden influx of patients. However, the move has been criticised by opposition politicians as "a subsidy for private insurers", which already cover the cost of medicines newly funded by Pharmac, and of little benefit to patients. The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, which represents 6500 senior hospital doctors and dentists, said its members working in oncology and haematology had "significant concerns" the change would widen inequities for patients. Change will create 'two-tier' waiting list In a letter on June 13 to Pharmac's acting chief executive Brendan Boyle, the union's director of policy and research, Harriet Wild, quoted a briefing to the minister saying the policy change "would not increase volumes of cancer medicines provided in New Zealand, as only the location of treatments will change". "It will simply shift some of the existing capacity to the private system, where patients will need to fund infusion costs out-of-pocket," Wild wrote. "There will be pressure on the public system to ensure a smooth transition in treatment regime, which may mean delaying treatment for other people already waiting on the public list and unable to self-fund to start in private. "This potentially creates a two-tier waiting list and a system where those with more financial resources, will be prioritised for treatment." Furthermore, the shift of resources and inevitable increase in demand was likely to speed up the exodus of staff to the private sector, making public waiting lists even longer. Minister signals broadening access further A "back-pocket Q&A" provided to Seymour ahead of a Cabinet meeting on April 7 noted that the current eligibility criteria in the Pharmaceutical Schedule (excluding patients in private settings) was "designed to ensure public funding for medicines was prioritised for those managed in the public health system for cancer treatment, assessed by need, rather than public funding supporting those who chose to access treatment in private facilities. "Often the private treatment is funded from private health insurance that people have paid premiums into." In the same document, the minister said there was no plan to expand the policy to include other types of medicines or treatments "at this stage". "With that said, I've asked the Ministry [of Health] to do further work in this area to explore the possibility of broadening access to all publicly-funded medicines in private facilities - not just newly funded cancer medicines. "I encourage the private health providers and insurance companies to work closely with the ministry to support their understanding of how this might work in practice." Wild said opening access to publicly-funded drugs even wider would pull more staff away from the public system, reducing access for the majority who relied on it. "That would establish a system where a patient's ability to receive timely cancer care would depend on whether they could afford the out-of-pocket infusion costs." Pharmac's Budget boost needs 'back up' The government's 2024 Budget boost to Pharmac to widen access to medicines for patients had not been accompanied by extra resources for Te Whatu Ora to deliver the treatments, when public oncology services were already swamped with demand, Wild said. "Our members are increasingly needing to manage deteriorating patients, who are unable to access chemotherapy infusions in clinically acceptable timeframes. "This is unacceptable and represents a significant failure to invest in a planned and co-ordinated way to enable the public system to meet the needs of cancer patients, including those eligible for newly funded cancer medicines. "Whenever a new cancer drug is funded, it must be accompanied by an increase in the full package of care (staffing, infusion space, pharmacy) so that patients can actually receive the medicines within clinically acceptable timeframes." The Health Minister and David Seymour's office have been approached for comment.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Private hospitals' use of publicly-funded cancer drugs will widen inequities, warn doctors
Under 'transitional access' private patients won't have to shift to the public system for 12 months. Photo: 123RF A move to allow private patients to access publicly-funded cancer drugs threatens to increase wait times for those in the public system, warn senior doctors. Under "transitional access", which comes into effect on 1 July, private patients who are already receiving treatment - or about to start treatment - with a newly funded medicine will not have to shift to the public system for 12 months. Associate Health Minister David Seymour, who has championed the rule change, said it would lessen stress on private patients by enabling continuity of care, and pressure on the public system which would no longer have to deal with a sudden influx of patients. However, the move has been criticised by opposition politicians as "a subsidy for private insurers", which already cover the cost of medicines newly funded by Pharmac, and of little benefit to patients. The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, which represents 6500 senior hospital doctors and dentists, said its members working in oncology and haematology had "significant concerns" the change would widen inequities for patients. In a letter on June 13 to Pharmac's acting chief executive Brendan Boyle, the union's director of policy and research, Harriet Wild, quoted a briefing to the minister saying the policy change "would not increase volumes of cancer medicines provided in New Zealand, as only the location of treatments will change". "It will simply shift some of the existing capacity to the private system, where patients will need to fund infusion costs out-of-pocket," Wild wrote. "There will be pressure on the public system to ensure a smooth transition in treatment regime, which may mean delaying treatment for other people already waiting on the public list and unable to self-fund to start in private. "This potentially creates a two-tier waiting list and a system where those with more financial resources, will be prioritised for treatment." Furthermore, the shift of resources and inevitable increase in demand was likely to speed up the exodus of staff to the private sector, making public waiting lists even longer. A "back-pocket Q&A" provided to Seymour ahead of a Cabinet meeting on April 7 noted that the current eligibility criteria in the Pharmaceutical Schedule (excluding patients in private settings) was "designed to ensure public funding for medicines was prioritised for those managed in the public health system for cancer treatment, assessed by need, rather than public funding supporting those who chose to access treatment in private facilities. "Often the private treatment is funded from private health insurance that people have paid premiums into." In the same document, the minister said there was no plan to expand the policy to include other types of medicines or treatments "at this stage". "With that said, I've asked the Ministry [of Health] to do further work in this area to explore the possibility of broadening access to all publicly-funded medicines in private facilities - not just newly funded cancer medicines. "I encourage the private health providers and insurance companies to work closely with the ministry to support their understanding of how this might work in practice." Wild said opening access to publicly-funded drugs even wider would pull more staff away from the public system, reducing access for the majority who relied on it. "That would establish a system where a patient's ability to receive timely cancer care would depend on whether they could afford the out-of-pocket infusion costs." The government's 2024 Budget boost to Pharmac to widen access to medicines for patients had not been accompanied by extra resources for Te Whatu Ora to deliver the treatments, when public oncology services were already swamped with demand, Wild said. "Our members are increasingly needing to manage deteriorating patients, who are unable to access chemotherapy infusions in clinically acceptable timeframes. "This is unacceptable and represents a significant failure to invest in a planned and co-ordinated way to enable the public system to meet the needs of cancer patients, including those eligible for newly funded cancer medicines. "Whenever a new cancer drug is funded, it must be accompanied by an increase in the full package of care (staffing, infusion space, pharmacy) so that patients can actually receive the medicines within clinically acceptable timeframes." The Health Minister and David Seymour's office have been approached for comment. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
Nutrition Replacements Fully Funded For Adults With Crohn's Disease Who Use Them As Their Only Source Of Nutrition
Pharmac is fully funding two brands of liquid nutrition replacements for adults with Crohn's disease who use them as their only source of nutrition. The nutrition replacements are Ensure Plus and Fortisip (200ml bottles, 1.5kcal/ml) and changes to funding will take place from 1 July 2025. Adrienne Martin, Pharmac's Manager Pharmaceutical Funding says, 'we are removing the additional cost on Ensure Plus and Fortisip so adults with Crohn's disease, who use them as their only source of nutrition, can continue to access and benefit from fully funded treatment.' Crohn's is a type of inflammatory bowel disease. Some people with this condition use these nutrition replacements as their exclusive diet for a period of 4–12 weeks. The goal of this exclusive diet is to rest the gut, to reduce inflammation and promote healing. This also may help manage symptoms and reduce the likelihood of needing surgery. A different fully funded nutrition replacement was previously available for these people, but the supplier stopped making it. 'We are grateful to those who provided feedback to our proposal and shared it with their community. Having this additional information from clinicians and the community helps with our decisions.' "Our role is to help people access the medicines and related products they need to improve their health. We estimate around 200 adults with Crohn's disease will benefit from the funding each year." says Martin
Scoop
3 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
Pharmac Declines Inactive Medicine Applications
Pharmac has declined 48 inactive funding applications so that it is clearer what medicines are currently being considered for funding. Director of Pharmaceuticals, Geraldine MacGibbon, says closing these applications is an important part of making sure Pharmac's work is transparent and easy to understand. 'We want people to know which treatments we are actively considering for funding,' she says. 'We decline applications if other medicines for the same condition have already been funded, making the application irrelevant. 'We also decline them if we have received clinical advice that recommends against funding this medicine, or we've found out that the medicine is unable to be supplied in New Zealand.' MacGibbon says that of the 56 applications assessed, 48 were declined, 1 was withdrawn by the supplier, and 7 remain active as a result of the consultation feedback. 'We're grateful for the feedback we received. Listening to people's personal experiences and perspectives helps us to understand the diverse health needs of our communities. 'I know that it can be disappointing to hear that a medicine is no longer being considered for funding. Declining an application now doesn't prevent us from considering the medicine for funding in the future if new information is provided. 'Our team works hard to make sure the medicines that would benefit New Zealanders move through our processes as quickly as possible.'
Scoop
4 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
New Pharmac Chief Executive Welcomed
Press Release – New Zealand Government Natalie McMurtry is a seasoned healthcare executive with over 25 years of experience as a frontline clinician and senior leader in Canada. Natalie has held several executive roles within Alberta Health Services, including Vice President of Provincial Clinical … Associate Minister of Health Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour has welcomed Natalie McMurtry as Pharmac's Chief Executive. Natalie McMurtry will start as Pharmac's Chief Executive on Monday 15 September, taking over from the Acting Chief Executive, Brendan Boyle. 'For the first time, Pharmac has its own Minister. Last year I outlined in my letter of expectations that Pharmac should have appropriate processes for ensuring that people living with an illness, along with their carers and family, can participate in and provide input into decision-making processes around medicines – this is committed to in the Act-National Coalition Agreement,' Mr Seymour says. 'Since then, the culture shift at Pharmac has been positive. It has moved towards a more adaptable and patient-centered approach to funding medicines. My expectation is that this will continue. 'This is in part thanks to the culture review Pharmac undertook to ensure their internal processes weren't getting in the way of their job – negotiating the best deals for medicine for New Zealanders. 'Pharmac also conducted a consumer engagement workshop. Patients groups were invited to discuss how they should be consulted in decision-making processes. I look forward to seeing this in practice. 'Pharmac are learning from their experiences and making changes where necessary. For example, the community let Pharmac know that they weren't consulted enough on the original oestradiol decision. In response, Pharmac added a consultation step to its annual tender process to seek feedback when considering a medicine brand change. 'The appointment of Natalie McMurtry is another positive step towards a Pharmac which works for the people it serves. I look forward to working alongside her as we look to cement positive change, and continue to move towards a more transparent, inclusive and people-focused organisation.' Natalie McMurtry is a seasoned healthcare executive with over 25 years of experience as a frontline clinician and senior leader in Canada. Natalie has held several executive roles within Alberta Health Services, including Vice President of Provincial Clinical Excellence. 'The Government is doing its part. Last year we allocated Pharmac its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, and a $604 million uplift to give Pharmac the financial support it needs to carry out its functions – negotiating the best deals for medicine for New Zealanders,' Mr Seymour says.
