Our Mission

Kiwis deserve to have faster access to modern medicines. It’s only fair.

E tika ana kia tere ake te wātea mai o ngā rongoā hou ki ngā tāngata o Aotearoa. He tōkeke tonu.

Fairness in Focus is a platform created to highlight the issues with New Zealand’s current medicines funding environment and propose solutions that would ensure every patient gets fairer and faster access to the medicine they need, now and into the future.

More Transparency

Kia Pūataata ake

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Transparency in the budget setting process would see Parliament deciding on the overall national medicines budget as part of the government’s annual budget package instead of medicines funding being the outcome of a complex negotiation between twenty DHBs, the medicines procurement agency and the Minister of Health. 1,2

Additionally, making the allocation of the medicines budget transparent means that funding can be easily and accurately measured.

Including patients, clinicians, industry and other stakeholders affected by medicines funding decisions in a consultation on a new generation medicines policy allows for an inclusive and holistic policy solution to be developed.1,2

Comparable Funding

Kia Tairite te Nui o ngā Pūtea

The medicines budget needs to be increased to bring New Zealand’s spending per capita in line with other comparable OECD countries.3,4,5

The medicines budget has been underfunded since 20073,4,5 - investment needs to be made to ensure New Zealand patients don’t continue missing out on proven modern medicines and that New Zealand is well placed to fund innovative medicines coming down the pipeline.

Image Source: 7-11

More Speed

Kia Tere ake

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Introducing a rapid access to medicines scheme would provide patients with access to effective medicines faster to ensure no patient is left waiting for a medicine they need.

Doing nothing is not an option if timely access to new medicines is important for retaining trust and confidence that publicly funded health is ‘modern’ and fit for the future. 2,6

About this site

This site is managed by Medicines New Zealand, the industry group representing pharmaceutical companies operating in New Zealand.

Medicines New Zealand advocates to improve access to modern medicines for New Zealand patients.

Medicines New Zealand’s members are engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of modern prescription medicines. Medicines that are recognised as life changing, breakthrough or leading therapies.

Resources

  1. NZIER (January 2020). Establishment of a medicines appropriation. Wellington New Zealand.
  2. NZIER (May 2020). A new generation medicines policy. Wellington, New Zealand.
  3. Health at a Glance: OECD Indicators. (2017). Paris, France.
  4. OECD Health Statistics. (2018). Paris, France.
  5. NZIER (December 2018). Community pharmaceuticals: Expenditure trends. Wellington, New Zealand.
  6. NZIER (December 2019). Rapid access to new medicines in New Zealand. Wellington  New Zealand.
  7. OECD (2020). Pharmaceutical spending (indicator). doi: 10.1787/998febf6-en (accessed on 22 July 2020)  
  8. PHARMAC 2018/2019 Annual report: (accessed on 22 July 2020)
  9. Stats NZ 2019
  10. OECD National currency units PPP
  11. IMF. (2018). International Monetary Fund World Economic Outlook Database 2018. Gross domestic product per capita, current prices (Purchasing power parity; international dollars)
Kiwis deserve faster access to modern medicines. It’s only fair.
E tika ana kia tere ake te wātea mai o ngā rongoā hou ki ngā tāngata o Aotearoa. He tōkeke tonu.
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This site is managed by Medicines New Zealand, the industry group representing pharmaceutical companies operating in New Zealand