It sounds hollow, hypocritical and heartless every time National says that decisions on funding must be left to Pharmac, writes Audrey Young.

Remove the emotion from the debate, and there's been plenty of silly political point scoring on this, writes Barry Soper. Put yourself in the Pharmac's position.

Patients who have had miraculous results with melanoma drugs will join dying patients and their families to petition Govt to boost funding for Pharmac.

Govt aims to let drug be grown for medical or scientific use, but more change is needed, writes Alex Wodak.

A pain-free and revolutionary new way of fixing tooth decay in children is being rolled out by some district health boards.

Medical cannabis helped ease the suffering of a terminally ill teenager but did nothing to treat his epilepsy, a medical report says.

New Zealand has the highest rate of melanoma in the world yet we have no effective therapy for advanced melanoma, writes Dr Chris Jackson.

The cost of a game-changing drug has started the latest backlash over high medicine prices.

Sir Douglas Myers is spending tens of thousands of dollars every month on chemotherapy drugs, including the new wonder drug Keytruda.

Two petitions are circulating for the funding of the new immunotherapy drug against melanoma, Keytruda.

Stroke sufferers could soon have their movements aided by a high-tech robotic exoskeleton being developed with the help of New Zealand researchers.

The price for one year of perfect health for a NZ patient turned out to be $35,714 in Pharmac's funding of new medicines in the last financial year.

Two medical researchers are calling for tighter controls on paracetamol sales after their hospital audit found it is the drug of choice for self-harm, especially among teenage girls.

It was absolutely astounding to see kids were able to play more sports and had less wheezing and coughing.

A real-life Robin Hood, who saves lives in the world's poorest countries, has been disciplined for practising without a certificate.

Ten women will receive womb transplants following surgeons in the UK getting the green light to start treatment.

Many researchers now believe old-fashioned cheap drugs will provide the next big breakthrough in cancer treatment.

A man confined to a wheelchair is able to walk again after United States scientists reconnected his brain and legs.

A report revealing the extent of bullying among surgeons has shocked the profession, and it is vowing to change.

A Tauranga girl, born with a rare birthmark, has set her sights on a conference where she can meet professionals specialising in her condition.

"Making normal sexuality into a medical problem is an easy PR task with enduring serious consequences for the health of NZ women."

Although we now have a far more detailed and accurate picture of medicine, the ancient Greeks can help us think through a number of topics that are still relevant today.

Death rates from general anaesthesia and some of the most common surgeries have been revealed.

A Kiwi professor has developed a new treatment which may be the answer to helping those diagnosed with the incurable disease: asbestos lung cancer.

A Dunedin professor who invented the first drainage device for glaucoma has been honoured at a function at the Otago Museum.

Kiwi scientists have found in pig bladders a breakthrough that could lead to better diagnosis and treatment of a disorder which frequently catches its sufferers short.

The atmosphere in Kathmandu is one of fear and terror following the second major earthquake to hit Nepal, a Unicef official in the city says.

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit Nepal today, with a number of powerful aftershocks also shaking the beleaguered nation.