Fears 140,000 will miss out on drugs

WELLINGTON: Pharmac’s decision to fund only limited access for two new drugs to treat type 2 diabetes could see up to 140,000 people with the condition miss out, a doctor says.

Diabetes Foundation Aotearoa chairman Dr John Bakera said yesterday that had to change and highlighted the shortcomings of the government drug funding agency’s funding model.

His comments follow the release of documents under the Official Information Act by Pharmac on its decision late last year to fund empagliflozin and dulaglutide, and feedback from people in the health sector.

Unlike existing treatments for people with type 2 diabetes which focus on lowering a patient’s blood sugar levels, the two drugs can also help delay a person developing other related complications such as kidney and heart disease.

The agency announced in December it would fund the medicines for 53,000 patients with the disease who met certain criteria starting in February.

But according to Pharmac’s own papers from last year, 195,000 people nationwide are taking medicine for the condition and with 45,266 people in South Auckland with diabetes alone, Dr Baker said it created an ethical dilemma for specialists such as him.

‘‘Who misses out and, as a doctor, how do you make that decision?’’

Pharmac said its role was to secure the best health outcomes from a fixed budget, and it had received significant feedback from health professionals who were supportive of its approach regarding the drugs.

Diabetes is New Zealand’s biggest and fastestgrowing health condition and South Auckland has the highest number of people diagnosed with it in the country.

The Ministry of Health estimates 263,938 people in New Zealand have the disease and it is more common among Maori, Pacific and South Asian people.

According to Pharmac the gross cost for funding the two drugs was estimated to be $125 million over five years.

‘‘The harsh reality and the fundamental reason for Pharmac’s existence is to control cost,’’ Dr Baker said.

And he said while there was a parliamentary review now under way into Pharmac’s operation, the inquiry would not be looking at the agency’s budget.

Dr Baker said Pharmac’s focus should be on prevention, not cost saving.