Major health and diplomatic experts in New Zealand are calling for a rethink of the healthcare system and have slammed Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Party for not doing enough before the general election on Saturday. The country’s independent national drug agency, Pharmaceutical Management Agency (PHARMAC), is under scrutiny for one of the first times since its creation in 1993 to control drug prices and stop the international pharmaceutical industry charging New Zealand far higher costs than other countries. Due to its broad efficiency, PHARMAC has dodged the political agenda as a talking point, but pressure from experts and advocacy groups is mounting for reform to keep up with the modern drugs market because numerous drugs that are readily available in most developed countries, are not available to kiwis. They argue that PHARMAC isn’t able to keep up with recent innovations like targeted specialist medication and has been left in the dust, a situation “which is quite literally killing kiwis”, including children and those at risk of suicide, who can't access the contemporary medication that they need. Former top New Zealand diplomat and Washington D.C. lobbyist Penny Tucker has spent much of her career working with PHARMAC, which she praised as great for sourcing generic drugs, and she told Real Press in an exclusive interview: “PHARMAC is a highly fortified, entirely defensive citadel prepared to resist all intruders at any cost.” She added: “Rather than prioritising health outcomes, [PHARMAC] has been quietly focused on picking kiwis to die, even when presented with alternatives and the ability to shift priorities.” The main political parties, including Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Party, along with National, the libertarian ACT party and the Greens, have all now pledged to review PHARMAC, the country’s drug agency and “boost” its funding.
