Widened access to diabetes medicines to benefit over 30,000 New Zealanders

From 1 September, Pharmac will widen access to four funded medicines for people with type 2 diabetes, making them available to over 30,000 more New Zealanders over the next five years.

Following substantial feedback on an earlier proposal, Pharmac is providing much wider access to four funded medicines for type 2 diabetes than originally proposed, by removing the existing requirements for people to have a history of cardiovascular or renal disease, elevated risk of cardiovascular disease, and the existing ethnicity criteria. Existing criteria requiring elevated blood sugar levels will remain.

Under the new eligibility criteria, around 14,000 more people with type 2 diabetes will be able to access funded empagliflozin, empagliflozin with metformin, liraglutide and dulaglutide over the next 12 months, with that number increasing to around 31,000 people after five years.

These medicines will be funded for New Zealanders with type 2 diabetes whose blood sugar levels remain high despite treatment with other funded diabetes medicines.

“Type 2 diabetes affects hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders and can lead to serious complications including heart and kidney disease,” says Pharmac’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr David Hughes.

“This decision means more people with type 2 diabetes will be able to access medicines that help lower blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of future complications which hugely impact their quality of life and, ultimately, put extra burden on the health system,” says Dr Hughes.

Empagliflozin, empagliflozin with metformin, liraglutide and dulaglutide are already funded treatments for type 2 diabetes to help lower blood sugar and reduce the risk of heart and kidney complications for some people.

Around 145,000 people already use these medicines.

“For people living with type 2 diabetes, earlier access to effective treatment can help improve blood sugar control and support better long-term health outcomes for them,” says Dr Hughes.