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

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with <strong>the</strong> application. The discharge summary provided by <strong>the</strong> hospital was<br />

supplied instead.<br />

Despite <strong>the</strong> required process not being followed in this case, <strong>the</strong> Community<br />

<strong>Exceptional</strong> Circumstances Committee approved <strong>the</strong> application. There are no<br />

reasons given or any determination about <strong>the</strong> criteria under which <strong>the</strong> claim was<br />

approved. The letter to <strong>the</strong> applicant simply states that “application for supplies<br />

<strong>of</strong> [Suboxone] …have been approved …based on <strong>the</strong> information you supplied”<br />

(<strong>Exceptional</strong> Circumstances Panel 2010).<br />

The application was successful and <strong>the</strong> patient was notified through her GP.<br />

Case No. 2 (OIA Document No. 82) May 2010.<br />

This application for Community <strong>Exceptional</strong> Circumstances subsidy was for a<br />

patient with long-standing Lupus Ery<strong>the</strong>matosus, a chronic auto-immune<br />

disease. She had been treated with hydroxyethyl quinine, prednisone and<br />

topical steroid ointments. These treatments were apparently not as effective as<br />

a one month course <strong>of</strong> chloroquinine. The patient reported that she had been in<br />

<strong>the</strong> best health she could remember in <strong>the</strong> last 10 years on <strong>the</strong> trial <strong>of</strong><br />

chloroquinine. The anticipated cost <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> drug was $710.00 per year.<br />

The specialist did not specify on <strong>the</strong> application form under which criteria <strong>the</strong><br />

application was being made. The doctor attempted to establish that this was a<br />

rare condition by writing on <strong>the</strong> application form “only 2 cases I have treated”<br />

(<strong>Exceptional</strong> Circumstances Panel 2010). <strong>How</strong>ever <strong>the</strong> Lupus Care and Support<br />

New Zealand 65 organisation identifies that this condition is suffered by one or<br />

two people in every 1,000 New Zealanders. Consequently, <strong>the</strong>re are between<br />

4,000 and 6,000 sufferers with lupus in New Zealand and <strong>the</strong>re were clearly<br />

more than 10 sufferers with this condition in New Zealand at <strong>the</strong> time <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

application.<br />

No articles were provided with <strong>the</strong> application to prove that <strong>the</strong> requested drug<br />

was safe. Nei<strong>the</strong>r was supporting data about <strong>the</strong> effectiveness <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> alternate<br />

treatment supplied. There were two specialist letters to <strong>the</strong> patient’s GP<br />

provided with <strong>the</strong> application and no report from <strong>the</strong> specialist to PHARMAC<br />

65 Website (http://www.lupussupport.org.nz/index.html )<br />

203

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