Health committee  The ultimate solution is having a population that is well, so that everyone is able to care well for their families and everybody in work. When you're sick and you can't get the cures that you need to allow those things to happen, you have a problem. The current government actual

Health committee  The short answer to the question is yes. I think there are a number of factors, both budgetary and operational. Around timeliness for our companies, Pharmac doesn't have to make a decision. It doesn't have to say to a submission that's made, “Yes, we will accept this and fund y

Health committee  I hate describing things in terms of left and right. I belonged to a very small party called the ACT Party, which still has a presence in Parliament. It's an economically and socially liberal party.

Health committee  Some would say it's far right.

Health committee  Thank you.

Health committee  None of our member companies manufacture in New Zealand—that all happens offshore—but there are a number of clinical trials done. One tricky thing for them is that they have ethical dilemmas around.... There's never any hope of having our products funded, should we even bother wi

Health committee  Our private health care is pretty tiny. About 30% of New Zealanders take out private insurance of some type, but that's predominantly—

Health committee  No, it's not for pharma; it's predominantly surgical coverage. I think the biggest private insurer allocates a small amount of funding for pharmaceuticals.

Health committee  The latter was the case in New Zealand.

Health committee  No.

Health committee  It's not an offering. I think there is a demand, but it's not an offering.

Health committee  No.

Health committee  We don't have lawsuits, for two reasons. First, Pharmac has an exemption from the Commerce Act, so there aren't lawsuits—company versus Pharmac—for that reason. We also have a public insurance-based system called Accident Compensation that deals with accidents only, not illnesses

Health committee  The flow-on effect, obviously, is that the costs to the health system overall are much greater further down the track when we don't treat chronic conditions that could have been dealt with more cheaply earlier on.

Health committee  The area of rare disorders is very problematic, because Pharmac looks at issues from a population perspective, so those rare disorders actually are difficult to deal with. I don't think that those who suffer in New Zealand are particularly generously treated. A year ago the gove