Medicines New Zealand has just released the 2019/2020 edition of its annual publication New Zealand’s Medicines Landscape which shows that the current medicines funding model, whilst not broken, is no longer fit for purpose. As a result New Zealanders are missing out on publicly funded treatments that are available as standard of care overseas in countries with comparable health systems and economic status.

“We are beginning to see life-changing and curative medicines, and more effective precision medicines coming through development pipelines and into the hands of healthcare professionals and health systems in our peer nations. But with New Zealand’s current system and existing waiting list for medicines recommended for reimbursement, what hope do Kiwi patients and the New Zealand health system have of getting access to these breakthrough medicines now or into the future?” said Dr Lee Mathias, Chairman of Medicines New Zealand.

The publication shows where New Zealand currently stands in terms of access to modern medicines, health inequity for Kiwi patients, and the benefits and cost-effective nature of modern medicines. The document also proposes collaborative solutions to ensure that the health system and patients get fairer and faster access to the modern medicine they need, now and into the future.

“These collaborative solutions overcome many of the issues raised by others that prevent New Zealand from resolving its medicines inequity issues. It is time for all of the critical stakeholders in New Zealand to consider working on these solutions collectively for the benefit of the health system and the patients within it” said Dr Lee Mathias.

The 2019/20 New Zealand Medicines Landscape is available online here.

Medicines New Zealand is now working on collaborative solutions to ensure Kiwi patients and the health system don’t continue missing out on modern medicines. Find out more here.

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Medicines New Zealand is the industry association representing biopharmaceutical companies operating in New Zealand. We advocate for the benefits of modern medicines as part of a high-quality public health system. Our objective is to ensure that New Zealanders have access to the right medicines at the right time.

Contact:
Kristen Edwards, Communications Advisor, Medicines New Zealand.
Ph: 027 534 6461