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How does the operation of PHARMAC's 'Community Exceptional ...

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Q Do you recall <strong>the</strong> Kaletra issues and <strong>the</strong> Community <strong>Exceptional</strong><br />

Circumstances application?<br />

A I do recall it, yes. When I came in to <strong>the</strong> Foundation, <strong>the</strong> [Community<br />

<strong>Exceptional</strong> Circumstances] application had already been submitted.<br />

I came in on <strong>the</strong> back <strong>of</strong> that process. My predecessor was <strong>the</strong> one<br />

that actually did <strong>the</strong> submission. I came in and it wasn’t really going<br />

anywhere. Yes, <strong>the</strong> process at that time had not worked through <strong>the</strong><br />

Community <strong>Exceptional</strong> Circumstances process …it is a hard ask at<br />

<strong>the</strong> best <strong>of</strong> times.<br />

Q <strong>How</strong>ever, <strong>the</strong> Kaletra example is where PHARMAC stepped outside<br />

from <strong>the</strong> Community <strong>Exceptional</strong> Circumstances criteria?<br />

A They did. This [application] in <strong>the</strong> end was not worked through <strong>the</strong><br />

Community <strong>Exceptional</strong> Circumstances process as you would<br />

expect. The relationship stuff has a huge impact in New Zealand. It<br />

is such a small country…90% <strong>of</strong> it was talk to <strong>the</strong> pharmaceutical<br />

companies, talk to <strong>the</strong> specialists, do some lobbying with guys like<br />

Peter Dunne 61 , get <strong>the</strong> word around…so that was fairly easy to get<br />

through by negotiating with PHARMAC but again I think it would have<br />

been a very different story if we had have gone down <strong>the</strong> Community<br />

<strong>Exceptional</strong> Circumstances road alone. (Interviewee H)<br />

The Foundation had such little faith in <strong>the</strong> Community <strong>Exceptional</strong><br />

Circumstances process that when a case came along where <strong>the</strong> AIDS<br />

Foundation had a good chance <strong>of</strong> gaining a Community <strong>Exceptional</strong><br />

Circumstances subsidy, <strong>the</strong>y did not make an application. ‘H’ describes why.<br />

Q But for your Foundation it is a far more agreeable process to go<br />

straight for scheduling <strong>of</strong> drugs and forget about Community<br />

<strong>Exceptional</strong> Circumstances altoge<strong>the</strong>r?<br />

A Yes…I have found this is <strong>the</strong> best way …for Fuzeon, it is an<br />

injectable antiretroviral, and we worked with <strong>the</strong> pharmaceutical<br />

company to get access to <strong>the</strong> drug on compassionate grounds… until<br />

such time as we got it through… we got it through fairly quickly as<br />

61 Hon. Peter Dunne is a Member <strong>of</strong> Parliament who leads <strong>the</strong> United Future political party. He held <strong>the</strong> position <strong>of</strong><br />

Minister <strong>of</strong> Revenue and Associate Minister <strong>of</strong> Health (posts outside <strong>of</strong> Cabinet) until November 2008. He has had a<br />

particular interest in PHARMAC over his political career.<br />

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