AstraZeneca welcomes Government's commitment to improving equity of access to medicines for New Zealanders living with cancer and rare diseases

AstraZeneca New Zealand welcomes today’s release of the Pharmac Review Final Report and the Government’s commitment to improving equity of access to life-saving cancer medicines and increasing investment in screening and other services, as part of health system reform to improve health outcomes for all New Zealanders.

AstraZeneca New Zealand and Australia’s Country President, Ben McDonald said: “We commend the New Zealand Government for acknowledging the need for change and for accepting the majority of the recommendations in the Pharmac Review, which we hope will be another step towards improving the health of Kiwi’s and deliver a fairer system, especially for Maori and Pasifika and those living with a disability.

“While acknowledging the need for dedicated action to close the gap in health outcomes for Maori and Pasifika and the importance of screening, early diagnosis and improved access to quality care, the reality is that some people will be diagnosed with a terminal disease at an advanced stage when prevention and cure are no longer an option.

Mr McDonald added: “Regardless of their stage of disease or prognosis, all patients should have equitable access to the best available treatments, including those at an advanced stage. We look forward to working collaboratively with the Government, Medsafe, Pharmac, the medical community and patient organisations to ensure the science validating the benefits of new medicines for patients is better understood, so New Zealanders do not have to wait longer than is necessary or miss out on treatments which will prolong their life and improve the quality of the time they have left.”

AstraZeneca was one of 213 organisations that participated in the Pharmac Review, making a case for faster and more equitable access to medicines in New Zealand, where waiting times for innovative treatments lag behind comparable nations, as outlined in the final report.