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

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health, disability, treatment <strong>of</strong> older people, primary care, medicines and a<br />

Maori health strategy 3 . It is through <strong>the</strong> medicines strategy that PHARMAC is<br />

directed to make a contribution to <strong>the</strong> wider public health service.<br />

The genesis <strong>of</strong> PHARMAC dates back to an agreement between <strong>the</strong> four<br />

Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) in 1993 to jointly incorporate a non-pr<strong>of</strong>it<br />

company to negotiate with suppliers <strong>of</strong> pharmaceuticals. The RHAs signed an<br />

agency agreement with PHARMAC to take full control <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> pharmaceuticals<br />

which would be paid for by <strong>the</strong> RHAs (Sim, 2000). Thus, PHARMAC took over<br />

<strong>the</strong> function <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Drug Tariff Section <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Department <strong>of</strong> Health and<br />

importantly, <strong>the</strong> applications by pharmaceutical manufacturing companies for<br />

<strong>the</strong> listing <strong>of</strong> medicines and <strong>the</strong> Pharmaceutical Schedule. PHARMAC inherited<br />

<strong>the</strong> management <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Schedule <strong>of</strong> a pre-existing subsidy list containing<br />

around 3,000 medicines that were already subsidised and approved.<br />

The government’s structural health reforms <strong>of</strong> 1999–2000 in New Zealand<br />

transformed PHARMAC (Gauld, 2004) into a Crown-owned agency with <strong>the</strong><br />

passing <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> NZPHDA 2000 (Ministry <strong>of</strong> Health, 2000). It became abundantly<br />

clear that PHARMAC’s sole purpose was containing <strong>the</strong> burgeoning costs <strong>of</strong><br />

pharmaceuticals which had occurred under <strong>the</strong> four RHAs (Kletchko, Moore, &<br />

Jones, 1995).<br />

This formalised PHARMAC’s role <strong>of</strong> securing, for eligible people suffering injury,<br />

disability and disease, <strong>the</strong> best health outcomes that were reasonably<br />

achievable with pharmaceuticals from within <strong>the</strong> capped amount <strong>of</strong> funding<br />

provided by <strong>the</strong> DHBs (McSoriley, 2000).<br />

PHARMAC signed an annual funding agreement with <strong>the</strong> DHBs and <strong>the</strong><br />

government, and began to implement <strong>the</strong> National Medicines Strategy.<br />

PHARMAC utilised panels <strong>of</strong> medical experts to examine <strong>the</strong> relative costs and<br />

merits <strong>of</strong> all medicines and <strong>the</strong>reby establish <strong>the</strong> subsidy schedules. The<br />

largest schedule established was <strong>the</strong> Community Pharmaceutical Schedule.<br />

3 http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/wpg_index/publications-index<br />

7

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