Hi Devil..Ive had a look on Pharmacs website and there is no notification there..would you mind providing the link as its Pharmacs decision to subsidise treatment and as I was aware Pharmac are in the process of reviewing submissions from relevant pharmaceutical providers.

Ive also looked on The Hepatitis Foundation of New Zealands page and there is nothing there either..

Nothing on the Hepatitis Foundation of NZ’s site about it

Sovaldi is a new drug which has had very high cure rates during clinical studies. It is used for treating genotypes 1, 2, 3 and 4, in combination with pegylated interferon and/or ribavirin. It is expected to be funded in New Zealand in two to three years.

http://www.hepatitisfoundation.org.nz/index.php/hepc/treatment/

And Harvoni is available, just not on their version of the PBS (PHARMAC), according to the site’s FAQ. If there is a source suggesting otherwise, definitely post it up!

Do you know when is Pharmac likely to look into funding the latest treatments such as Harvoni or Sovaldi? Also, I noticed some European countries like France and Germany have negotiated discounted prices with Gilead, is the NZ government likely to follow France and Germany initiative in the near future and start looking at making a deal with Gilead ?
Unfortunately we cannot comment on when PHARMAC will make a decision about funding these new hepatitis C drugs as we are not privy to this information, nor can we sway the outcome. We are not involved in the PHARMAC decision-making process.

What is the cost of Harvoni?
The approximate cost of Harvoni is NZ$26,000 (excl. GST) for a bottle of 28 tablets, which is a one month supply. This may vary as different pharmacies may charge different costs. Harvoni treatment varies between 8 weeks and 24 weeks, so it could cost between NZ$52,000 (excl. GST) to NZ$156,000 (excl. GST).

Is Harvoni available in New Zealand?
Yes, Harvoni, a combination of sofosbuvir and ledipasvir, has been approved by New Zealand’s Medsafe, which means it is available in New Zealand. It is not funded by PHARMAC so users will have to pay for Harvoni.

http://www.hepatitisfoundation.org.nz/index.php/hepc/faq/

Yep! looking at the Pharmac recommendation as advised by Prof Ed Gane when and if DAA’s are to be rolled out in New Zealand the sickest patients are treated first so all pre and post liver transplant patients and F4’s. When I read the pharmac report was when I decided not to leave my fate in someone elses hands and why should I have to be nearly dead until I MAY receive treatment. I stick by my choice to use generics.

Hi Devil,

Welcome. I suspect your post got everyone going because no one wants to give people false hope.

I think what everyone is trying to say is they doubt it will be that easy to access if the promise of 1st Feb by the doctor is actually met by the NZ govt. The costs of access for all would be astronomical even if restricted to New Zealanders and maybe their partners. So what will happen is that only the very sickest will get it now and the rest gradually over many years,maybe, which will be pretty much the same as the Australian situation give or take a few months.

It would be great if it happened like that but most of us have heard similar promises before that didn’t eventuate so we’ve decided to stop waiting and buy our own tested generic medication.

Anyway, stick around, have a read, ask questions.

G

(BTW Generic basically just means that it is not branded. The same ingredients and tested to make sure they are.)

I have moved this thread into Patient Stories and locked it for now. If someone can verify the story with a media article, please contact me via pm, and I’ll move it back into Media and re-open it.