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Vol 27- Mar
2010
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RMI recent
submissions round up:
High Cost Medicines
Panel:
The RMI recently presented its final
submission to the High Cost Medicines Panel established by Health
Minister, Tony Ryall, to recommend ways to improve access to
high-cost, highly specialised medicines in New Zealand.
The submission
marked the last chapter in a process which has included an earlier
submission to the panel and the RMI attending
various forums and feedback meetings with panel members.
Announcing the panel
in May 2009, Mr Ryall noted research suggested in recent years New Zealand
had subsidised significantly fewer innovative new medicines than Australia.
"Highly
specialised medicines can provide individual patients with major, sometimes
life changing, benefits but the number of people who benefit is not large.
And as few people will benefit from these medicines, the overall cost to
the health system is not great," Mr Ryall said.
The Ministry of
Health website notes access to high-cost, highly specialised medicines in
New Zealand is limited compared with other countries, with only 20
innovative new medicines subsidised by New Zealand in the six years to
mid-2006, compared with 78 innovative new medicines subsidised in Australia
in the same timeframe.
Currently,
those unable to pay for unfunded, high-cost, or highly specialised
community medicine can apply to the Community Exceptional Circumstances
Committee, one of three exceptional circumstances committees operated by
PHARMAC.
However, the
committee’s budget is small and the eligibility criteria restrictive, to
the point some doctors advise they have given up making applications
because they are often turned down.
Click here
for the RMI’s final submission to the HCM Panel.
Bridging the Gap:
The RMI also
made a submission to the Otago and Southland District Health Boards
proposal ‘Bridging the Gap’.
Mooted late
last year, the proposal sought feedback on patients currently in the public
health system being able to access treatments not currently publicly
funded.
The RMI
submission favoured public hospitals being able to offer additional,
independently funded treatments to patients already receiving care in the
public health system.
It also
agreed patients receiving care in the public health system should be able
to pay for additional unfunded treatments.
The RMI
submitted constraints within the current system meant that at times the
public health service was not able to provide New Zealand patients with
optimal access to treatment - a situation “contrary to international best
practice”.
Click here
for the full RMI submission to the ‘Bridging the Gap’ proposal.
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RMI CEO in China
RMI CEO, Denise Wood, attended a meeting of the Pharmaceutical Research and
Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) held in Shanghai, China, in late January.
The meeting’s theme of ‘Changing
the Game’ focussed on current initiatives to increase
information sharing and collaboration among sister organisations
across the Asia Pacific region.
The RMI was invited to make a presentation on preparations underway
for the upcoming Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations - a regional
free trade agreement that includes Chile, Singapore, New Zealand and Brunei
– following United States confirmation last December it would begin
negotiating to join the partnership.
US involvement is seen as a significant step towards trade
liberalisation within the Asia Pacific region with US Trade Representative,
Ron Kirk, commenting at the time that the US objective would be to shape a
“high-standard, broad-based regional pact”, which would “create a
potential platform for economic integration across the Asia-Pacific
region”.
Ms Wood said RMI’s presence at the meeting enabled the organisation
to hear about the experiences of similar organisations already operating in
Asia Pacific markets.
“We were interested to hear and learn from markets that have dealt
with some of the challenges we face and equally, we were happy to share the
essence of our positions should that be relevant to others, given that
collaboration will be an essential element of our success,” Ms Wood said.
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Upcoming RMI AGM and Board elections
Elections to the Board will be held in Auckland on
Wednesday 24 March during the RMI AGM.
The Board of Directors is the RMI’s governing body and consists of
eight members elected annually from the Chief Executive Officers of member
companies.
Current Board members include:
- Lex Henry, non-executive Chairman
- Alan Carter, Vice Chairman, and Country Manager, sanofi-aventis
- Darcy Downey, Managing Director, Boehringer Ingelheim
- Geoff McDonald, General Manager, GlaxoSmithKline
- Frances Benge, Country Lead, Pfizer NZ Limited.
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Talk
compares Trans-Tasman pharmaceutical spend
New Zealand and Australia's
comparative spend on pharmaceuticals were highlighted in a recent talk by
Novartis Global Pricing and Market Access Director, Michael Wonder.
The talk presented findings from his 2006 report Access by patients in New Zealand to innovative
new prescription-only medicines: how have they been faring in recent times
in relation to their trans-Tasman counterparts? He emphasised
he had undertaken the research on his own volition, rather than for his
employer.
Mr Wonder found 33 innovative, new medicines reimbursed by the
Australian Government between January 2000 and June 2006 had not been
reimbursed in New Zealand, with entire disease categories sometimes
overlooked.
The report discussed possible policy responses to these gaps and
also identified substantial delays in funding new medicines in New Zealand.
The talk was hosted by Victoria University’s Wellington Health Economics
Group, assisted by the RMI.
Click here
for slides of Michael Wonder’s presentation.
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This newsletter is
published on behalf of the
Researched Medicines Industry Association of New Zealand. The views and
opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the
RMI.
For further information:
Researched Medicines Industry Association
PO Box 10447 Wellington
Phone 04 499 4277
http://www.rmianz.co.nz
info@rmianz.co.nz
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Thanks to RMI stakeholder survey participants
Many
thanks to everyone who responded to the recent RMI stakeholder survey.
Conducted during
February, the survey tested participants’ knowledge of the work of the RMI
and canvassed a range of views and experiences of the organisation
including perceptions, interaction, contact, communication, and how
participants ranked our website and E-zine.
Findings from the
survey are being collated and will be used to better inform the RMI on
stakeholders’ views and issues. Survey findings will also provide
a benchmark for the organisation to continue to improve its service to
members and the public.
Upcoming events
- Renal Society of
Australasia Conference. Cairns Convention Centre, 2 - 5 June 2010. http://www.rsa2010.org.au/
- GP CME 2010.
Energy Events Centre,
Rotorua, 10-13 June 2010. http://www.gpcme.co.nz/
- GP CME South.
Christchurch, 5-8 August 2010 (Details YTC). http://www.gpcme.co.nz/
- BIO Asia Pacific 2010.
International Conference and Exhibition. Brisbane Convention and Exhibition
Centre, August 17th - 19th 2010.
- 17th World Congress of the
International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy.
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, 3 - 6 October 2010.
http://www.isshp2010-melbourne.org/
- International Society of
Obstetric Medicine (ISOM) Meeting, Melbourne Australia. 1 - 3 October
2010.
Want
to highlight your upcoming conference in the RMI E-zine? Send the details
to info@rmianz.co.nz
www.rmianz.co.nz
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