Yearly budgets for Pharmac

Pharmac claims a three-year funding path for pharmaceuticals will enable more people to get medicines and allow investment decisions to be made with greater certainty.

Pharmac chief executive Wayne McNee said yesterday Health Minister Annette King had agreed to a plan that would set annual pharmaceutical budget targets for the next three years.

He said the increases in spending over the next three years would allow for the expected growth in pharmaceutical dispensing volumes.

In the past six months Pharmac had funded new drugs for childhood arthritis, hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, alcohol addiction, raised cholesterol and diabetes.

The volume of pharmaceuticals was expected to rise as more people gained access to lower dispensing co-payments through the establishment of Primary Health Organisations.

He said the agreement between Pharmac and health boards would ensure the medicines budget reflected health spending priorities.

- NZPA