The drug-buyer Pharmac has been heavily criticised in an interim report into the agency, released on Thursday.
The review, led by former Consumer chief executive Sue Chetwin, said the high-profile agency is under-performing in helping to remove inequitable health outcomes.
There was an excessive focus on cost control, decision making was opaque and slow, and many believed New Zealand was falling behind in terms of the medicines that are funded.
Pharmac chief executive Sarah Fitt spoke to Susie Ferguson.