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How the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement could undermine PHARMAC and threaten access to affordable medicines and health equity in New Zealand

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  • Gleeson, Deborah
  • Lopert, Ruth
  • Reid, Papaarangi

Abstract

New Zealand's Pharmaceutical Management Agency (PHARMAC) has been highly successful in facilitating affordable access to medicines through a combination of aggressive price negotiations, innovative procurement mechanisms, and careful evaluation of value for money. Recently the US government, through the establishment of a series of bilateral and plurilateral “free” trade agreements, has attempted to constrain the pharmaceutical access programs of other countries in order to promote the interests of the pharmaceutical industry. The Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) represents the latest example; through the TPPA the US is seeking to eliminate therapeutic reference pricing, introduce appeals processes for pharmaceutical companies to challenge formulary listing and pricing decisions, and introduce onerous disclosure and “transparency” provisions that facilitate industry involvement in decision-making around coverage and pricing of medicines (and medical devices). This paper argues that the US agenda, if successfully prosecuted, would be likely to increase costs and reduce access to affordable medicines for New Zealanders. This would in turn be likely to exacerbate known inequities in access to medicines and thus disproportionately affect disadvantaged population groups, including Māori and Pacific peoples.

Suggested Citation

  • Gleeson, Deborah & Lopert, Ruth & Reid, Papaarangi, 2013. "How the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement could undermine PHARMAC and threaten access to affordable medicines and health equity in New Zealand," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 112(3), pages 227-233.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:hepoli:v:112:y:2013:i:3:p:227-233
    DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2013.07.021
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Rajan Ragupathy & Katri Aaltonen & June Tordoff & Pauline Norris & David Reith, 2012. "A 3-Dimensional View of Access to Licensed and Subsidized Medicines under Single-Payer Systems in the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand," PharmacoEconomics, Springer, vol. 30(11), pages 1051-1065, November.
    2. Frosch, D.L. & Grande, D. & Tarn, D.M. & Kravitz, R.L., 2010. "A decade of controversy: Balancing policy with evidence in the regulation of prescription Drug advertising," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 100(1), pages 24-32.
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    Cited by:

    1. Patricia Ranald, 2015. "The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement: Reaching behind the border, challenging democracy," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 26(2), pages 241-260, June.

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