Pharmaceutical Management Agency
Encyclopedia
The Pharmaceutical Management Agency (commonly referred to as PHARMAC or Pharmac) is the New Zealand
Crown agent that decides, on behalf of District Health Boards
, which medicines and related products are subsidised for use in the community and public hospitals.
PHARMAC was created in 1993 to ensure that New Zealanders get the best possible health outcomes from the money the Government spends on medicines. Trying to meet the public's growing demand for new medicines within a defined budget is challenging. PHARMAC has made a wider range of subsidised medicines available while staying within an agreed budget each year.
What does PHARMAC do?
PHARMAC has four main roles in New Zealand:
• Managing the New Zealand Pharmaceutical Schedule of about 1,800 Government-subsidised community pharmaceuticals
• Promoting the best possible (or ‘optimal’) use of medicines
• Managing the subsidy of medicines and some medical devices used in public hospitals
• Managing Exceptional Circumstance schemes (medicines funding for people with rare conditions) and other special access programmes.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
Crown agent that decides, on behalf of District Health Boards
District Health Board (New Zealand)
District Health Boards in New Zealand are organisations established by the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000, responsible for ensuring the provision of health and disability services to populations within a defined geographical area. They have existed since 1 January 2001 when the ...
, which medicines and related products are subsidised for use in the community and public hospitals.
PHARMAC was created in 1993 to ensure that New Zealanders get the best possible health outcomes from the money the Government spends on medicines. Trying to meet the public's growing demand for new medicines within a defined budget is challenging. PHARMAC has made a wider range of subsidised medicines available while staying within an agreed budget each year.
What does PHARMAC do?
PHARMAC has four main roles in New Zealand:
• Managing the New Zealand Pharmaceutical Schedule of about 1,800 Government-subsidised community pharmaceuticals
• Promoting the best possible (or ‘optimal’) use of medicines
• Managing the subsidy of medicines and some medical devices used in public hospitals
• Managing Exceptional Circumstance schemes (medicines funding for people with rare conditions) and other special access programmes.