Pharmac to establish new Patient Advisory Committee

Pharmac will establish a new Community and Patient Advisory Committee (CPAC) as part of changes to how it engages with patients and consumer groups, Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced.

The new committee will replace the existing Consumer Advisory Committee and the Consumer and Patient Working Group, with recruitment expected to begin in October and the committee scheduled to be in place early next year.

The changes follow a review of Pharmac’s consumer engagement processes undertaken as part of its long-term improvement programme.

Pharmac said feedback from patients and consumers indicated its advisory arrangements should be updated, while a new Consumer Relations team will take responsibility for day-to-day engagement with consumer and patient advocates on specific issues.

An interim Consumer Advisory Committee has been appointed to help develop the new committee’s terms of reference, engagement model and implementation arrangements. The interim body will be co-chaired by Georgina Johnson and Dr Malcolm Mulholland, with members LJ Apaipo, Pui-yi Cheng, Tim Edmonds, Chris Higgins and Tracy Tierney.

The Government says it has increased Pharmac’s funding to $6.294 billion over four years, including a $604 million funding boost. It also says that since December 2023, Pharmac has funded 48 new medicines and expanded access to a further 88, with around 767,000 New Zealanders expected to benefit during the first year of funding. Interested applicants can register their interest in joining the new committee ahead of the October recruitment process.