Expert slams drug policies

New Zealand's death rate from heart disease will only get worse if the country's "restrictive" medicine funding policies are not urgently reviewed, Auckland cardiologist Harvey White says.

Professor White said a lack of funding for medicines, heavily restricted access to medicines which could prevent or delay the onset of heart disease, and Pharmac's policy of switching patients from their stabilised medication to cheaper alternatives "with scant regard for patient safety" were significant contributors to the problem.

His comments follow the release of a report by international strategic advisory firm Castalia, which claimed New Zealand's "extremely restrictive" pharmaceutical funding policies were resulting in people not getting the access to medicines they should and enduring relatively more invasive interventions.

The report, which was commissioned by drug company Pfizer, said a review of Pharmac's drug buying policy was needed to ensure it was more focused on clinical needs rather than "short term fiscal restraint".

Professor White said he agreed with the report's finding that restricted access to medicines was shifting costs to other areas.

"The economic cost of heart disease is enormous. It's our biggest killer ... and medical practitioners are being forced to treat increasing numbers of patients with outmoded treatments," he said.

Pharmac said information contained in the report was used in a selective way "at best" and was incorrect "at worst".

Pharmac medical director Dr Peter Moodie said New Zealanders had access to all the main cardiovascular drugs. He said the problem was not related to quality but the uptake rates, which were low in some parts of the country.

Generic, cheaper versions of drugs had to pass all the same "tests and hurdles" as the innovator drug and had the same potency and effect. Use of generics freed up more money to spend elsewhere.