'Horror' at new Pharmac plan

BY REBECCA TODD

A single Government agency should assess and buy all medicine and health technology, a Government panel says.

However, Christchurch Hospital's Medical Staff Association chairwoman Ruth Spearing said doctors would be filled with "horror" at the suggestion Pharmac should procure surgical equipment and fund medical procedures.

A new report from the high-cost medicines review panel provides 15 recommendations for improving access to specialised drugs.

It recommends Pharmac assess and procure all pharmaceuticals, including hospital and cancer drugs that are currently managed by district health boards (DHBs).

The report said Pharmac should assess and make funding decisions for all health technology, including medical devices, vaccines, medical and surgical procedures and equipment. Health technology deserved the same scrutiny as pharmaceuticals, it said.

"Pharmac has significant expertise at assessing treatments [currently medicines] in both clinical and economic terms," the report said.

"We believe it is possible for Pharmac to extend its scope, relatively cost-effectively, to include other health technologies."

Pharmac taking responsibility for funding decisions for all health technology would cause "great concern" to most health professionals, Spearing said.

Medical staff were frustrated with Pharmac's "bureaucracy".

Spearing said a centralised decision-making body would need medical input and fast turnaround times.

Some local control would be needed to deal with exceptional cases.

The single agency recommendation has been welcomed by Arthritis New Zealand and the Cancer Society.

Arthritis New Zealand chief executive Sandra Kirby said international best practice was for those with conditions like rheumatoid arthritis to be prescribed a biological treatment if conventional treatment failed.

In New Zealand, sufferers had access to just one biological option funded by Pharmac, on which up to one-third of patients failed.

Access to other biologicals came under DHB funding and hundreds of people were missing out because they lived in the wrong region, she said.

"Post-code prescribing is not something we want to have in New Zealand," she said.

Cancer Society health promotion adviser in screening and early detection Sarah Penny said the society supported a centralised approach to buying drugs.

"It would be, hopefully, more equitable if done by one organisation rather than two."

CHILDREN MISSING OUT

Kiwi children are missing out on specialised medicines because of high Medsafe registration fees, a Government report says.

A preliminary report from the high-cost medicines review panel has suggested changes to the way pharmaceuticals are assessed and funded in New Zealand.

The panel said high Medsafe registration fees were preventing low-cost, highly specialised medicines for children from being registered in New Zealand.

Registering a medicine with Medsafe costs $80,000.

The panel said Medsafe and Pharmac should clarify which medicines were available and ensure access to the clinically important ones.

"We believe that the burden of Medsafe's registration processes and costs act as a major barrier to access to low-cost and highly specialised medicines in New Zealand.

"It seems that no agency currently tracks which medicines are falling through the gaps, and none accepts responsibility for addressing this problem."

The panel said specialists wanted an agent such as Ora-Sweet – used to turndrugs into liquid form for children – to be funded in New Zealand.

It said Pharmac should also consider paediatric medicines as part of its tender processes.

- © Fairfax NZ News