Wider Choice for NZ Asthma Patients

Wider Choice for NZ Asthma Patients

Increasing the choice of funded treatments for children and adults with asthma is to be commended, Medicines New Zealand General Manager Kevin Sheehy says.

This week PHARMAC announced that an additional choice in asthma treatments will be funded for adults and children.

“Providing another funded option for treating pre-school wheeze and exercise induced asthma attacks will have direct and measurable benefits to patients, through decreased hospital admissions and an increased ability to participate in sporting activities,” Mr Sheehy says.

Each year, PHARMAC estimates that up to 7500 children and up to 2000 children and adults with exercise-induced asthma will benefit from the new treatment option.

“We fully support the decision to provide better access to innovative treatments and give patients and doctors a wider range of treatments to improve health,” Mr Sheehy says.

“However, New Zealand patients who could have benefitted from this medicine over the last twelve years have had to fund it themselves, or go without.

“Given the high prevalence of asthma in New Zealand, a great many patients could have benefited from its use had this treatment been fully funded before now.”

www.medicinesnz.co.nz

ENDS

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