1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,720 Speaker 1: Now Farmac is considering funding two new medicines for blood cancer. 2 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:05,960 Speaker 1: Neither of the treatments are a cure, but they will 3 00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:08,039 Speaker 1: give sufferers more years to live and they could be 4 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:10,880 Speaker 1: available as soon as May this year if Farmac says yes. 5 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:14,800 Speaker 1: David Seymore, Associate Health Minister responsible for Farmak, is with us. Hello, 6 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:18,479 Speaker 1: David hey ever. I mean we say Farmac's considering it, 7 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:19,960 Speaker 1: but it's obviously going to happen, isn't it. 8 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:23,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean they do have to do their final 9 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:25,320 Speaker 2: sign off, but it's got to the point where they 10 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 2: say they're proposing to fund it, which means that while 11 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:32,640 Speaker 2: they have the final say, this will happen and there'll 12 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:37,000 Speaker 2: be two new blood cancer medicines and they will help 13 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:40,640 Speaker 2: an estimated eighty to ninety people every five years with 14 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:44,479 Speaker 2: what is quite a rare but brutal disorder. 15 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:46,760 Speaker 1: Are you guys public about what the cost of this is. 16 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:51,640 Speaker 2: We're not, simply because the people that are selling it 17 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:55,440 Speaker 2: to FARMAC and FARMAC both have an incentive to keep 18 00:00:55,480 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 2: it secret. I'd like to think we're getting a good 19 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:00,520 Speaker 2: deal and the vendors won't want there to the world 20 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:01,400 Speaker 2: to know what we're getting it. 21 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:04,280 Speaker 1: For now, I saw that you will also or FARMAC 22 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:06,759 Speaker 1: will also allow people who are already paying for these 23 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:10,200 Speaker 1: drugs privately to be able to continue getting it privately 24 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:12,039 Speaker 1: rather than having to stop what they're doing and go 25 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:15,120 Speaker 1: into the public system. This is common sense, isn't it. 26 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:19,560 Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean this is something that came from a 27 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:22,760 Speaker 2: street corner meeting two years ago in EPSOM and I 28 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:25,440 Speaker 2: had a guy who was a patient say to me, look, 29 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:29,199 Speaker 2: this is ridiculous. Paid my taxes, paid for my farm 30 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:32,440 Speaker 2: MAC medicines should I need them. I've also gone above 31 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:35,840 Speaker 2: that and paid for my own private health insurance. But 32 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:39,679 Speaker 2: I'm not eligible to get FARMAC funded cancer treatment in 33 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:42,760 Speaker 2: a place like Canopy or a Southern Cross hospital or 34 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:46,400 Speaker 2: other private facility. And I couldn't fault the guy. He 35 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:51,640 Speaker 2: had a point. So we've actually changed that initially only 36 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 2: if a new medicine is funded by FARMAC, but it's 37 00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:01,080 Speaker 2: one that you're already paying for privately in the past, 38 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 2: FARMAC might start funding something that you've previously been paying 39 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:06,640 Speaker 2: for and you have to keep paying in a private setting. 40 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:09,800 Speaker 2: We'd like to get to the stage, or I would 41 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:12,800 Speaker 2: like to get to the stage where all medicines that 42 00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 2: are funded by FARMAC. If you have the administration done 43 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:19,240 Speaker 2: in a private hospital or cancer clinic, well, look, you 44 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:22,959 Speaker 2: paid your taxes, you deserve your medicine. That would put 45 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:25,160 Speaker 2: some extra cost onto Pharma. So we haven't gone all 46 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:28,200 Speaker 2: the way yet, but certainly, when these medicines are funded, 47 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:31,600 Speaker 2: anyone who's been privately funding them to date will be 48 00:02:31,639 --> 00:02:36,639 Speaker 2: eligible to continue their treatment. But with public funding through FARMAC. 49 00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:38,840 Speaker 1: How much more expensive is it for them to continue 50 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:40,960 Speaker 1: doing it in a private hospital rather than publicly. 51 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:47,840 Speaker 2: Well, for the cost is the same, but the problem 52 00:02:47,919 --> 00:02:50,160 Speaker 2: is that at the moment there are quite a lot 53 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:53,000 Speaker 2: of people getting treatment that they are paying for in 54 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:56,240 Speaker 2: order to get it done administered within a private hospital, 55 00:02:56,280 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 2: which is their choice. If we paid for everything there, 56 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:02,760 Speaker 2: it would be tens of millions more off the PHARMAC budget, 57 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 2: and that would constrain the amount of new medicines that 58 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:10,200 Speaker 2: we can fund, which we like doing. So that's the challenge. 59 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 2: I think the right thing to do is, Look, you 60 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 2: paid your taxes all your life. If you also pay 61 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:18,000 Speaker 2: for Southern Cross or private healthcare and you want to 62 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:20,640 Speaker 2: get it administered there, you should still get access to 63 00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:23,959 Speaker 2: your medicines. I think that's fair, But that doesn't mean 64 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 2: that adjusting to that world is costless, and so we're 65 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:30,160 Speaker 2: going to We've taken one step. If it's funded, if 66 00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:33,240 Speaker 2: it's newly funded while you're already getting it, then we 67 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 2: will start funding it through pharmic but not for everything 68 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:37,000 Speaker 2: just yet. 69 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:39,200 Speaker 1: David, completely different subject. But this is the first time 70 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:42,640 Speaker 1: I've spoken to you since the Alery Levy thing. Are 71 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:45,400 Speaker 1: you guys going to you're going to support this levee? 72 00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:49,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a government policy. The act Party is signed 73 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:54,480 Speaker 2: up to support government policies. It's equally true that we 74 00:03:54,520 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 2: are listening. There are people who are concerned about will 75 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:02,520 Speaker 2: this be effective at getting power prices down and will 76 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:06,960 Speaker 2: the cost of it actually mean that my powerbull adds 77 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:10,840 Speaker 2: up higher. Now we can have that argument back and forth, 78 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:15,120 Speaker 2: but we're actively listening, and we are open to the 79 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:19,279 Speaker 2: possibility that if there was another way to do it, 80 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 2: then maybe we'd take a look at that. I think 81 00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:23,960 Speaker 2: we should always be open to that there. 82 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 1: Is another way to do it, though. The other way 83 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 1: to do it is to sell down some of the 84 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:28,800 Speaker 1: government's stake in the retailers. 85 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:34,280 Speaker 2: YEP, so recycling just asking the simple question, do we 86 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:37,160 Speaker 2: need to own these shares in these power companies, or 87 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:40,000 Speaker 2: would it be better to own a gas terminal so 88 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:42,000 Speaker 2: you can get gas in the dry years bring the 89 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:46,680 Speaker 2: electricity price down. Would that be smarter all together? I 90 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:49,080 Speaker 2: think that, I think that very well might be true. 91 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:50,920 Speaker 2: So look, I'm just saying we're open. 92 00:04:50,839 --> 00:04:54,800 Speaker 1: To you considering this. You are considering maybe pulling your 93 00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:58,520 Speaker 1: support for the levee and putting your support behind asset recycling. 94 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:02,400 Speaker 2: No, I'm not saying that I'm not going to break 95 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:05,039 Speaker 2: from the government. We need a stable government. But I 96 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:07,599 Speaker 2: think it's fair to say that right across the government 97 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:11,200 Speaker 2: there's always the possibility that things will change. I mean, 98 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:16,120 Speaker 2: if you look at the Auckland planning issue, that was 99 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:18,719 Speaker 2: obviously something the government signed up to. 100 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:21,680 Speaker 1: You'll suggest on the government. The government may in fact 101 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:24,479 Speaker 1: change its mind. The whole Coalition may change its mind 102 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:25,160 Speaker 1: on the levee. 103 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:28,760 Speaker 2: Well, the Government's done that on a number of issues. 104 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:32,599 Speaker 2: So all I'm saying is that, you know, always listen 105 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:36,080 Speaker 2: and don't rule things out. But sitting here right now, 106 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:39,000 Speaker 2: I can tell you that the Government's made a commitment 107 00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:41,240 Speaker 2: and the act Party keeps its commitments, all right. 108 00:05:41,279 --> 00:05:43,640 Speaker 1: David, thanks very much, really appreciate that. David Seymoman, It's 109 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:47,880 Speaker 1: a responsible farmac. For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, 110 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:51,440 Speaker 1: Listen live to news talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, 111 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:53,760 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio