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Identifying priority medicines policy issues for New Zealand: a general inductive study
Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar1, Susan Francis1
1Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
BMJ Open
|May 30, 2014
Summary
New Zealand
Area of Science:
- Health Policy
- Pharmaceutical Management
- Health Economics
Background:
- Medicines policy in New Zealand (NZ) is not widely understood by stakeholders.
- The Pharmaceutical Management Agency (PHARMAC) operates with a fixed budget, influencing medicine availability.
- Existing policies aim for consistency but face challenges in equitable access.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and analyze priority issues within New Zealand's medicines policy.
- To gather stakeholder perspectives on the effectiveness and challenges of current medicines policy.
- To inform future improvements in pharmaceutical access and management in NZ.
Main Methods:
- Exploratory, semistructured interviews were conducted with 20 healthcare and policy stakeholders across NZ.
- Interview data were digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic coding in INVIVO 10.
- Stakeholder perceptions, experiences, and opinions on NZ's medicines policy were systematically recorded and grouped.
Main Results:
- While generally satisfied with medicine availability, stakeholders noted issues with rare disorder medicines.
- Concerns were raised regarding decision-making processes, outcome measurement, and evidence consistency.
- Access barriers persist for lower socioeconomic groups, Māori, Pacific ethnicities, rural residents, and those with rare disorders, exacerbated by rising prescription fees.
Conclusions:
- Despite overall satisfaction with subsidized medicines, significant challenges remain in equitable access for vulnerable populations.
- Key issues include rising costs, demand for new medicines, prescriber access, budget constraints, and cultural/health literacy.
- Improving transparency, consistency, and addressing specific barriers is crucial for enhancing NZ's medicines policy.
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