Health

Pharmac urged to extend funding beyond cancer treatment

17:30 pm on 4 November 2022

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Calls are growing for the government drug buying agency to extend its blanket funding of children's medications beyond cancer treatment.

Under the current system, any medicine for paediatric cancer is automatically funded without a Pharmac assessment.

The agency is now reviewing the policy saying its an equity issue because it treats medication for adult cancers and other childhood illnesses differently.

Advocacy group Patient Voice Aotearoa has launched a petition calling on Pharmac to extend the policy rather than get rid of it.

Spokesperson Malcolm Mulholland talks to Lisa Owen.