Melanoma New Zealand has joined forces with 20 other patient advocacy organisations to launch the MyLifeMatters campaign – declaring a medicines crisis in New Zealand and calling for the New Zealand Government to invest in new and breakthrough medicines at the same level as other OECD countries.
Did you know:
- New Zealand ranks last – 32nd in a list of 32 OECD countries – for public funding of medicines. By comparison, Australia is ranked 18th, and the United Kingdom is ranked third.
- New Zealand has funded only 8% of the modern medicines launched between 2011 and 2020.
- Australia funds 105 modern medicines that New Zealand does not.
- $181 million is the shortfall Pharmac faces in the health budget from 2024 to maintain access to the same list of funded medicines, including new medicines funded in 2022/23.
- 7.7 years is the average wait time and counting for applications across all Pharmac lists.
- As of April 2023, 109 applications are languishing on Pharmac’s Options for Investment List and the estimated investment required to clear this waitlist is $417 million.
- 1.5 million patients would benefit if Pharmac’s Options For Investment List was publicly funded.
The MyLifeMatters campaign aims to raise awareness, promote policy changes, and engage politicians to ensure equitable access to essential medicines for all Kiwis.
Patient advocate Malcolm Mulholland will be speaking about his personal journey with cancer, what cancers are prevalent in your community and what drugs you are missing out on, the stories of local patients who needed medicines, New Zealand’s medicine crisis and what can be done about it at the MyLifeMatters Roadshow touring the country during September and October.