ProCare, a leading healthcare provider, is delighted to
receive confirmation from Pharmac that the life-changing
drug Trikafta, which can add up for 27 years of good health
for those with Cystic Fibrosis (CF), is being funded for
eligible patients from 1 April 2023.
Prior to this
announcement from Pharmac, CF patients using Trikafta had to
privately bear the cost of this treatment, more than
$300,000 a year.
ProCare Group CEO, Bindi Norwell,
says “This is wonderful news for CF patients and their
whānau. We know many CF patients have a close relationship
with their GP, many of whom have treated their patients
their entire life. It was a no-brainer for ProCare to
support funding that would make a huge different to CF
patients’ lives.”
Dr Allan Moffit, Clinical
Director for ProCare, says “Apart from the physical
effects of living with CF, there are wider mental and
emotional impacts for patients and their families, and the
medical burden on patients who have to take multiple
medications every day. Funding Trikafta will significantly
reduce not only the physical toll of having CF, but also the
mental and emotional toll.”
One area ProCare had
highlighted as part of its submission to Pharmac, was that
they re-consider the recommendation that prescriptions would
be “sent to and collected from Te Whatu Ora hospital
pharmacies”. Whilst they have acknowledged this in the
response to consultations, if we are to truly put whānau at
the centre of healthcare in Aotearoa, then we should
endeavour to make this medication available at patients’
local or community pharmacy.
The administrative
‘cost’ of dealing with CF is already high enough without
asking patients to visit hospital pharmacies which are not
always in convenient locations and more often than not incur
a higher than usual cost for
parking.
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