New report highlights opportunities to deliver faster and fairer access to innovative medicines for New Zealand patients

In recent years there have been considerable efforts by many healthcare stakeholders to improve access to innovative pharmaceutical medicines in New Zealand with significant progress made. However, further reform is needed to improve the current access to medicines environment.

To support the necessary progress, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) commissioned Peter Boyes, former features editor of the UK General Practitioner Newspaper, to prepare this report to document the current state of play and contribute to the public discourse on this important topic.

The report titled ‘Access to Innovative Pharmaceutical Medicines in New Zealand’ finds New Zealand is slower than comparable countries in providing access to innovative medicines. It cites OECD benchmarking showing multi-year delays between Medsafe approval and PHARMAC funding, including 7–10 years for many medicines, compared with typical access times of 6–18 months in Australia and the United Kingdom.

It also highlights equity and system capacity challenges, noting delays can disproportionately affect Māori, Pacific peoples and rural communities. The report notes many therapies funded in Australia and the United Kingdom are not funded in New Zealand, and that public investment in medicines is lower than in similar OECD countries.

Owen Smith, General Manager, Bristol Myers Squibb Australia and New Zealand, said the report highlights the urgent need for significant reform as well as the opportunity for New Zealand to continue strengthening how it enables timely access to innovative medicines, while maintaining the integrity and sustainability of the health system.

“There was a clear and strong consensus from those consulted that reform is necessary to improve access to medicines in New Zealand to support better outcomes for patients and, over time, help reduce pressure across the wider health system.”

The report identifies five priority areas for improvement:

• Expand the pharmaceutical budget to match health needs and OECD benchmarks
• Improve transparency and embed structured, consistent clinician, patient and consumer engagement in HTA decision making
• Modernise and improve PHARMAC processes to build confidence and trust in the system (including prioritising improvements in the timeliness of assessment, decision making and publication processes)
• Prioritise health equity through co-design with Māori, Pacific peoples, and underserved communities including regional and remote populations
• Enhance national productivity and social return on investment by enabling timely access to effective medicines, reducing avoidable illness, hospitalisation, and time off work

Peter Boyes, author of the report, said: “The findings reflect consistent feedback from patients and clinicians that New Zealand’s medicines access system does not always keep pace with the speed of medical innovation seen overseas.”

“This review is intended to support constructive, evidence-based discussion about how the system could evolve to better meet patient needs, while remaining transparent, equitable and fiscally responsible.”

The report consolidates the work underway, stakeholder insights, and patient organisation perspectives and provides a shared evidence base to guide ongoing collaboration and future policy development on medicines access in New Zealand.

View the media release here. For detailed recommendations for each of the five priority areas, read the full report, here.