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New Zealand’s Drug Funding Gap | Auckland News
New Zealand’s drug funding is sparking national debate: a new study reveals every dollar spent on medicines returns nearly two dollars to the economy—but we’re lagging behind Australia, investing just 4.9% versus 12.2% of health budgets. This shortfall limits access to cutting-edge treatments for cancers and rare diseases, as our strict pricing system—led by Pharmac—keeps costs low but shrinks availability. While funded partly by drug companies, the report’s findings are independently backed, highlighting a critical gap. Officials admit they need more investment and are rethinking how they…
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