Our drug-buying agency Pharmac is being accused of being behind the times, compared to the rest of the world
Our drug-buying agency Pharmac is being accused of being behind the times, compared to the rest of the world
26 June 2019
A Nelson man with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, who was facing a bill of half million dollars, has managed to get free treatment through the pharmaceutical company's Compassionate Access Programme.
The scheme applies to drugs not yet approved by Medsafe.
Cancer Society medical director, Chris Jackson, says the gap between New Zealand and the UK has never been bigger than it is now when it comes to access to drugs.
He says even the UK has ways of getting these new drugs to patients more quickly than New Zealand has.
Jackson says Pharmac is operating under a model that's 25 years old and the world's changed.
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