Pharmac Minister won't guarantee National’s 13 cancer drugs will be funded (2024)

The minister responsible for New Zealand’s drug-buying agency Pharmac is at odds with the Minister of Health over the Government’s commitment to funding the provision of 13 new cancer drugs.

Pharmac Minister David Seymour today said he couldn’t guarantee the 13 drugs outlined in the National Party’s election policy would be funded as it hadn’t yet been agreed by Cabinet and it threatened Pharmac’s negotiating ability.

However, his comments differed from those made by Health Minister Dr Shane Reti, who yesterday seemingly left no doubt the Government would fund the same 13 cancer drugs National had promised ahead of the election.

The difference in position will likely add to the uncertainty felt by cancer patients and advocacy organisations, which has been building since Budget day when it appeared the Government was abandoning the policy.

The policy, campaigned on by National ahead of the 2023 election, promised to fund 13 cancer treatments which were unavailable in New Zealand.

The list of drugs had been identified in a 2022 Cancer Control Agency report. Some experts and advocates, including those in that report, have questioned whether other or more modern drugs would be more effective.

The Government’s Budget this year didn’t include funding for the policy, prompting widespread criticism and forcing the Government to come up with a solution to honour the commitment. No timeline has been offered regarding an announcement on the future of the policy, except that it would be implemented by the end of the year.

Reti, a National MP, yesterday admitted the Government had poorly communicated the policy’s future but he stood by his party’s policy, guaranteeing the same 13 drugs would be funded.

“We had made a commitment to these people and they saw themselves in this policy and so we’re going to deliver that policy,” he said yesterday.

Today, while in select committee, Seymour said the Government would work to honour the coalition agreements.

In the agreement between National and New Zealand First, it promised to give Kiwis access to “13 more cancer treatments”. It did not specify whether those 13 treatments were the same as those promised in National’s policy.

Seymour told select committee members it was possible the Government could make new policy regarding this commitment that would still satisfy the coalition agreement.

He stated his commitment to the “neutrality” of Pharmac’s decision-making as it wasn’t preferable for Pharmac to be “playing their poker with its cards on the table” when it was negotiating with drug companies.

Labour has criticised the Government for the policy, saying it compromised Pharmac’s independence and would hinder the agency’s ability to secure a competitive price for those treatments.

Talking to journalists, Seymour said he couldn’t make Reti’s commitment because the Government hadn’t yet made a decision.

“I’m responsible for what I say, [Reti] may well have a different view but ultimately, we’re all going to land at the same place.

“Sometimes, people are very passionate about medicine and patients and can get quite exuberant. I’m more of a sober sort of a guy and I just go through the process and go by the book.”

He accepted the apparent difference in position could cause uncertainty for cancer patients but wouldn’t offer his thoughts on whether Reti had been wise in guaranteeing the same 13 drugs would be funded.

“I’m not here to commentate on Shane, I’m here to state my position and give the best explanation I can to the people of New Zealand about how I believe that this policy should work.

“I’d also just point out that we may well end up at a solution very much like the one that Shane has described, perhaps exactly like the one that Shane has described. This is a question of process and political procedure.”

The Herald asked Reti’s office whether he stood by his comments yesterday. A subsequent statement didn’t address the question.

Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.