A leading diabetes expert has slammed Pharmac for its approach to Type Two Diabetes - saying access to medicines for the disease is at a third world level in New Zealand and lives are being lost because of it.
The president of the Diabetes Society, Brandon Orr-Walker, says Pharmac's refusal to fund modern medicines may be saving its own budget but it is dumping costs on the rest of the health system.
This is the third story in a four-part investigation into how Pharmac works and whether its model is costing lives. You can read part 1 here: The NZ Buyer's Club.Part 2 is here: Pharmac's secret list.Part 4 is here: Pharmac switches epilepsy drug against Medsafe advice. Listen to Guyon Espiner discuss this investigation here: Drugs and Money.
