In a country where the public purse decides which medicines reach ordinary patients, a familiar tool is being asked to return. Pharmac, New Zealand's medicine funding agency, is inviting the public to weigh in on whether prasugrel, a once-daily drug that helps prevent dangerous blood clots, should again be paid for after a heart attack or certain heart procedures. The medicine vanished from local supply in 2021, and its return would give clinicians another path for the thousands whose bodies do not respond well to the options already on offer. The question now rests with those who will read th
Pharmac Proposes Funding Prasugrel to Widen Heart Treatment Options for Around 4,000 New Zealanders
Not every medicine works the same way for every person.
Mark
So what is Pharmac actually proposing here?
Mimi
To fund prasugrel again, a medicine that reduces the risk of blood clots, for people who have had a heart attack or procedures like angioplasty or stent placement.
Mark
Again? It was funded before?
Mimi
Yes. It disappeared in 2021 when its supplier discontinued it, so this is a return rather than a new drug.
Mark
Why does having another option matter?
Mimi
Pharmac's Michaela Lion says the current funded treatments don't suit everyone, because of allergy, intolerance, or reduced effectiveness.
Luke
Worth noting the 4000 figure is Pharmac's own estimate of people who could benefit. The source doesn't explain how it was calculated.
Mark
And how many of those people lack a workable alternative today?
Luke
Not stated. We know some people can't use the current options, but not how many, so the number of people for whom this is the only choice is unknown.
Mimi
What is stated is the practical detail: it's taken once a day, which may make treatment easier for some.
Luke
"May" is doing the work there. It's a possibility, not a finding.
Mark
And what happens next?
Mimi
Consultation runs until 25 November, via the online form or consult@pharmac.govt.nz. This is a proposal, not a decision.
El Pulso
- A medicine that disappeared from New Zealand supply in 2021 is now proposed for return, reopening a gap in heart care.
- Around 4000 people who have had a heart attack or certain heart procedures may find their current treatments unsuitable due to allergy, intolerance, or reduced effectiveness.
- Pharmac is seeking public feedback, with responses accepted through an online form or by email to consult@pharmac.govt.nz.
- The window closes on 25 November, and the proposal's fate hinges on what the public tells the agency before then.
In a country where the public purse decides which medicines reach ordinary patients, a familiar tool is being asked to return. Pharmac, New Zealand's medicine funding agency, is inviting the public to weigh in on whether prasugrel, a once-daily drug that helps prevent dangerous blood clots, should again be paid for after a heart attack or certain heart procedures. The medicine vanished from local supply in 2021, and its return would give clinicians another path for the thousands whose bodies do not respond well to the options already on offer. The question now rests with those who will read the proposal and answer before the deadline of 25 November.
After a heart attack or certain procedures such as angioplasty or stent placement, many New Zealanders are prescribed medicines to keep dangerous blood clots from forming. Yet these treatments do not work the same way for everyone, and for some people they are unsuitable because of allergy, intolerance, or reduced effectiveness.
Pharmac, the agency that decides which medicines the public system pays for, now proposes to fund prasugrel again. The drug was once available here, but its supplier discontinued it in 2021. Michaela Lion, Pharmac's Manager, Pharmaceutical Funding, says the aim is simply to give clinicians one more choice when deciding what fits a particular person.
Prasugrel is taken once a day, which may also make treatment easier for some. The proposal could reach around 4000 people at risk of serious heart-related events.
The consultation is open until 25 November, through the online form or at consult@pharmac.govt.nz. Nothing is settled yet; what follows depends on the voices heard before the deadline.
Pharmac, the New Zealand agency that decides which medicines the public system pays for, is asking for public feedback on a proposal to fund prasugrel, a drug that lowers the risk of blood clots and of serious heart-related events.
Under the proposal, prasugrel would be available to people who have had a heart attack, or who have undergone certain procedures such as angioplasty or stent placement.
Michaela Lion, Pharmac's Manager, Pharmaceutical Funding, describes the aim as adding one more funded option for people who need medicine to prevent potentially life-threatening clots. After a heart attack or some heart procedures, she says, people are often prescribed medicines that stop clots forming and reduce the chance of further cardiovascular events.
The case for another option rests on the fact that these medicines do not work the same way for everyone. Lion says that for some people the treatments currently funded may not be suitable, whether because of allergy, intolerance, or reduced effectiveness. Funding prasugrel would give clinicians an additional choice when deciding what best fits a particular person's needs.
This would not be a first-time listing. Prasugrel was previously funded in New Zealand but became unavailable after its supplier discontinued it in 2021. Lion says the proposal would make the medicine available again and widen treatment choice for around 4000 people at risk of serious heart-related events.
There is also a practical point in its favour: prasugrel is taken once a day, which may make treatment easier for some people.
Consultation is open until 25 November. People can respond through the online consultation form or by emailing consult@pharmac.govt.nz. The proposal is still just that, and what happens next depends on the feedback Pharmac receives before the deadline.
Citas Notables
The proposal would make the medicine available again and increase treatment choice for around 4000 people at risk of serious heart-related events.— Michaela Lion, Pharmac Manager, Pharmaceutical Funding
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