Local heart day with soul

Monday, 12 October 2009, 3:57 pm | PHARMAC

Otara families can enjoy a morning of hearty fun while learning how to better care for their hearts at Pharmac’s One Heart Many Lives community heart health morning this coming Saturday. More >>

Local heart day with soul

Thursday, 1 October 2009, 5:10 pm | PHARMAC

Porirua families can enjoy a morning of hearty fun while learning how to better care for their hearts at Pharmac’s Local Heart Day this coming Saturday. Men enrolled at the Ora Toa Cannons Creek Medical Centre can also get free heart checks. Stilt ... More >>

New medicines, savings result from agreement

Thursday, 1 October 2009, 1:15 pm | PHARMAC

New funded treatments for HIV/AIDS and nausea, and a strengthened osteoporosis treatment have emerged from an agreement between PHARMAC and pharmaceutical company Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD). The agreement includes five medicines, including two that have not ... More >>

Heart drug deals to save $65 million

Monday, 7 September 2009, 10:23 am | PHARMAC

PHARMAC has completed agreements with two companies for the heart drug metoprolol that will realise $65 million of savings over the next five years.

Metoprolol, a beta-blocker, is used to treat raised blood pressure and heart failure. Until June this year it was only supplied by AstraZeneca as the Betaloc brand. It is currently used by about 200,000 people. More >>

Funding Will Bring Relief to Kiwi PAH Sufferers

Wednesday, 26 August 2009, 2:02 pm | PHARMAC

Auckland, 26 August 2009 – Tracleer (bosentan), a leading treatment for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH), is now funded by PHARMAC. This will give New Zealanders suffering from this incurable disease a chance to improve both the quality and length ... More >>

New leukaemia treatment funded

Monday, 3 August 2009, 11:43 am | PHARMAC

PHARMAC is funding a new medication for patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia, called dasatanib (Sprycel). Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is relatively rare with about 40 new cases diagnosed in New Zealand each year. The only cure is a stem-cell ... More >>

PHARMAC welcomes increase in pharmaceutical budget

Thursday, 30 July 2009, 3:55 pm | PHARMAC

Government drug funder PHARMAC is welcoming the increase in the pharmaceutical budget, which it says will help ensure people continue to have improving access to medicines. More >>

New treatment to overcome drug resistant hep B

Thursday, 23 July 2009, 2:17 pm | PHARMAC

PHARMAC is investing in a new medication to help overcome drug resistance for people with hepatitis B. From August 1, entecavir (Baraclude) will be funded under Special Authority as a first line treatment option for people with hepatitis B. More >>

Treatment funded to save patients and money

Tuesday, 30 June 2009, 2:52 pm | PHARMAC

Funding azithromycin for cystic fibrosis is great news for patients and will save the health sector money, says Government drug-funder PHARMAC. More >>

Cardiovascular disease gets funded treatment

Friday, 19 June 2009, 10:35 am | PHARMAC

People with a rare but disabling cardiovascular condition will have easier and more consistent access to three funded medicines following a decision by PHARMAC. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a very serious and often fatal condition affecting ... More >>

Greater access to life-extending lymphoma drug

Tuesday, 16 June 2009, 1:54 pm | PHARMAC

Treatment for a form of cancer is about to take a forward step with the widening of funded access to the in-hospital drug rituximab (Mabthera). More >>

New funding for anti-smoking drug

Monday, 1 June 2009, 11:12 am | PHARMAC

PHARMAC is marking Smokefree Day by announcing funding for the smoking cessation drug bupropion (Zyban) from 1st July 2009. More >>

How should PHARMAC’s Consumer Advisory work?

Monday, 4 May 2009, 9:32 am | PHARMAC

PHARMAC wants to tap into the expertise of consumers and other groups as the first step in a review of its Consumer Advisory Committee. The consumer committee, established in 2002, provides PHARMAC with input from a patient or consumer point of view. PHARMAC ... More >>

Māori children more likely to die from asthma

Wednesday, 15 April 2009, 10:24 am | PHARMAC

A new programme that gets underway in Taranaki this week has a potentially deadly illness in its sights – childhood asthma. More >>

Hepatitis B treatment to take forward step

Tuesday, 31 March 2009, 1:57 pm | PHARMAC

Treatment of the potentially fatal liver disease hepatitis B is set to take a major forward step with an additional funded treatment available from 1 April 2009. More >>

Non-stimulant treatment for ADHD funded

Thursday, 19 March 2009, 10:36 am | PHARMAC

PHARMAC has approved funding for a new type of drug to treat behavioural problems in children. From 1 April 2009 atomoxetine (Strattera) will be funded for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Available under Special Authority, ... More >>

Patient safety top of mind with acne drug decision

Friday, 19 December 2008, 12:57 pm | PHARMAC

Widening access to a medicine used to treat acne has been made with full awareness of patient safety issues, says PHARMAC’s medical director Dr Peter Moodie. More >>

PHARMAC: challenges require innovative thinkinking

Wednesday, 17 December 2008, 3:25 pm | PHARMAC

PHARMAC’s Chief Executive Matthew Brougham says many future challenges will only be addressed through new and innovative thinking, and by working better with stakeholders, particularly with prescribers, pharmacists and consumer groups. More >>

PHARMAC statement on Herceptin 12 month funding

Wednesday, 10 December 2008, 10:49 am | PHARMAC

PHARMAC has played its part in the decision to fund 12 months Herceptin and will continue to assist the government as required. PHARMAC’s role has included providing information as necessary, and assisting the Ministry of Health with its contract ... More >>

Doctors take to electronic application system

Tuesday, 2 December 2008, 3:28 pm | PHARMAC

Nearly 3000 doctors are now using an electronic system for helping patients to access some medicines. More >>