Pharmac has declined an application to fund Daily Essential Nutrients (DEN), a nutritional treatment previously backed by an expert committee as a second-line treatment for ADHD.
University of Canterbury clinical psychologist Julia Rucklidge – interviewed multiple times on RCR – said Pharmac rejected the application because DEN is not a registered medicine. Rucklidge said therapeutic nutrients were being forced through the same pathways designed for pharmaceutical drugs, despite having different risk profiles.
DEN can cost hundreds of dollars per month, putting it out of reach for many. “The question is no longer whether there is evidence, but why is it so hard for the regulatory and funding systems to respond to it?” Rucklidge said. Read more at Julia Rucklidge on Facebook and watch or listen to RCR’s latest interview with Julia Rucklidge.
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