The Health Minister says emergency cancer drug approvals overseas are making it difficult to identify which medicines New Zealand should fund.
The Cancer Control Agency released a report today, which shows there are 18 gold standard cancer medicines funded by Australia but not New Zealand.
The Minister Andrew Little told Morning Report New Zealand's guidelines for drugs are stricter than those in other countries.
"One of the things that the report says is that, particularly when it comes to cancer drug procurement, just how challenging that is these days, because a lot more treatments are coming on onto the market, not necessarily always well tested.
"There are a lot more emergency approvals of cancer drugs in other countries, and it tends to put pressure on countries like ours to, sort of, keep up."
Little says the government is looking to do more as too many people have missed out on healthcare for too long.
