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

Kiwis are waiting for more than 35 cost-effective medicines recommended by a Pharmac advisory committee, a lobby group for the pharmaceutical industry says.

Pharmac is possibly the most publicly respected body in this country.

A campaign for state funding of a costly new drug for melanoma has been derailed by a "low priority" ranking at Pharmac.

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.

Tim Groser has a sales job in front of him after the Trans-Pacific Partnership kept the doors open wide to foreign investment in Auckland's red hot housing market.

Most people will be more than aware that, like all public relations campaigns, this one will not reveal the full picture.

It may be difficult at first for observers to grasp the magnitude of what has happened with the trade liberalisation deal just reached in the TPP.

FRAN O'SULLIVAN: Geneva has the WTO. Brussels hosts the European Union. Will the Trans-Pacific Partnership put Auckland on the map?

What deals have other countries by signing up to the TPP deal?

OPINION: Trade Minister conceded a few nasty points but his brinksmanship in TPP negotiations allows him to stare down critics, writes Fran O'Sullivan.

An overwhelming number of New Zealanders support the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal use, the latest Herald-DigiPoll survey shows.

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

Prime Minister John Key says signing up to the Trans Pacific Partnership could stop the Government from banning house sales to non-residents, but alternative measures including a stamp duty or land tax could still be introduced.

Leading American trade economist Professor Peter Petri is optimistic that the Trans Pacific Partnership will turn out to be less damaging to Pharmac than people fear.

New Zealand is heading towards a two-tier health system, and it could get a whole lot worse, writes George Laking.

New Zealanders' access to safe and affordable medicines could be limited under a massive trade deal being secretly negotiated, opposition parties say.

A teenager with a life-threatening illness has had a "miracle" response to a drug Pharmac said it wouldn't fund.

Despite being born only two minutes apart, Axel is considerably smaller than his twin brother, and has a raft of significant health problems to boot.

Obesity might be a risk factor for gout, but new research has suggested that being overweight doesn't make the condition any worse.

The cost of new "generic" versions of Herceptin and other such pharmaceuticals looks likely to become a casualty of the TPP agreement, writes George Laking.

Kiwi babies look likely to get free vaccinations against chickenpox and rotavirus later this year - up to six years after Australia.

Andrea Murphey is an attractive, youthful 52-year-old who says her life has been saved by an expensive "miracle" drug.

Andrea Murphy says her life has been saved from a killer blood disease by an expensive "miracle" drug and is pleading for Pharmac to approve state funding of it.

Leaked proposed provisions of the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement could affect our ability to treat chronic diseases, writes Briar Mannering.

It is not a binary question - will Pharmac survive or not? - but rather how might the rules it operates under change, writes Brian Fallow.