Pharmac funding: Do we need to change how we pay for medicine?

It may have taken a month to get there, but the Government has fulfilled its promise to fund new cancer drugs. Rather than the 13 promised on the campaign trail, it's giving $604 million for 54 new medicines, including 26 cancer treatments. It's hoped the promised cancer drugs will be rolled out within the next year and a half – with the first becoming available from October. But the back and forth over National’s pre-election promise has raised questions about why it’s so difficult to fund drugs in this country – and if Pharmac is up to the task. Today on The Front Page, University of Auckland Professor Dr Paula Lorgelly joins us to discuss if our decades-old process needs a refresh. Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network. Host: Chelsea DanielsSound Engineer: Paddy FoxProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.