3 June 2025
Jennifer Jiayi
Via email:
fyirequest30896[email address]
Tēnā koe Jennifer
Request for information: data relating to the OFI
Thank you for your request dated 5 May 2025 under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act) for data relating to the OFI. Please find a response to each part of your request below:
1. Estimated Patient Numbers
The most recent estimate held by Pharmac of the number of people in New Zealand
who could be expected to benefit from, or receive treatment with, medicines currently
on the OFI list. If available, I would appreciate this data broken down by:
* Therapeutic group or clinical area
* Year 1 through Year 5 patient estimates (as per the format provided in Pharmac's
previous responses that you have publicly released.)
Table 1 Sum of estimated patient numbers for all funding proposals on the OFI list,
split by therapeutic group, as at April 2025
Therapeutic group
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Alimentary
27,169
29,001
18,227
20,808
22,838
Anaesthetics,
Analgesics and Anti
204
265
358
519
804
Nausea
AntiInfectives
84
86
87
88
89
Cardiovascular System
1,417
2,119
2,893
3,747
4,685
Dermatologicals
19,878
21,118
22,224
23,107
23,793
GenitoUrinary System
63,580
64,447
65,563
66,919
68,257
Haematology Oncology
56
52
52
53
54
Hormone Preparations
9,092
9,475
9,856
9,939
10,023
Mental Health
516
1,064
1,640
2,246
2,880
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Metabolic Agents
91
91
97
98
99
Musculoskeletal
System
13,133
12,755
13,275
13,459
13,640
Nephrology
11,241
19,680
25,025
28,787
31,818
Neurology
125,711
66,594
13,692
14,467
15,298
Oncology Agents
3,328
3,108
3,054
3,076
3,133
Respiratory System
and Al ergies
47,194
52,438
57,262
61,660
65,675
Sensory Organs
820
1,370
1,920
2,490
3,060
Special Foods
612
594
598
602
606
Vaccines
2,923,193
1,686,086
1,727,182
1,649,000
1,754,575
Various
561,115
568,889
576,773
584,767
592,873
Total
3,808,434
2,539,232
2,539,778
2,485,832
2,614,200
Please note:
1. We have provided you with the figures from the OFI list of April 2025, as this provides
the most current figure possible. As of April 2025, there were 114 proposals on our
OFI list.
2. The patient numbers above are an estimate of people that could be expected to
benefit or receive treatment from the medicines on the OFI list, as a sum total. This
also does not account for possible patient overlaps or doublecounting where:
a person is treated for multiple indications funded by the OFI list, and so
would be counted multiple times in the total figures provided, and/or
by funding one item on the OFI list, other items on the OFI list for the same
indication may be used by a smal er number of people (or may not be used at
al ).
2. Estimated Cost to Fund the OFI List
I am also seeking any estimates held by Pharmac of the cost required to fund al
proposals currently on the OFI list. I acknowledge that individual medicine costs may
be commercial y sensitive. However, I would appreciate consideration of providing
this information:
In aggregate form; and/or
* Broken down by therapeutic group or clinical area (to mitigate commercial sensitivity
of individual treatments); and/or
* As a total estimate for each year over a 5year period as with previous responses
you have publicly released.
I note that Pharmac has previously provided public commentary on the overal cost of
clearing the OFI list, and there is significant public interest in understanding the scale
of unmet need and investment required.
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Table 2 – Estimated Fouryear budget impact of funding all proposals on Pharmac’s
OFI list, as at September 2024
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Total
$1,206,463,898
$1,096,391,180
$804,501,377
$835,884,854
$3,943,241,309
Note:
Figures are calculated assuming al proposals are funded, at once, from the start of
the fouryear period.
Figures include only the cost to the Pharmac budget. Other health system costs (such
as pharmacy dispensing fees, infusion costs etc.) are not included.
Figures include budget impact estimates which are subject to change in future due to
new clinical evidence, pricing or methodological changes.
These figures are the total estimated cost of the OFI as of September 2024. However
multiple factors may increase or decrease the total cost these include:
o Eligibility criteria
o Negotiations with suppliers
o Similar medicines that treat the same condition / similar health need
Please note that the figures provided are from September 2024, which is when this
information was last prepared in response to a previous request under the Act.
Disclosing such information too frequently could inadvertently reveal confidential pricing
details. This would have an impact on Pharmac’s negotiating position and would
unreasonably prejudice the commercial position of the suppliers that we negotiate with.
Therefore, the current figures for the budget impact of funding al proposals on the OFI is
refused under the fol owing sections of the Act:
section 9(2)(b)(i ) where its release would likely unreasonably prejudice the
commercial position of the person who supplied the information; and
section 9(2)(j) to enable a Minister or any public service agency to carry on
negotiations without prejudice or disadvantage (including commercial and industrial
negotiations).
Pharmac is committed to transparency, and we understand the high publicinterest in this
information. We intend to begin publishing these figures on an annual basis on Pharmac’s
website. You may wish to inquire later in the year about this.
We trust that this information answers your queries. Please note, you have the right to make
a complaint to the Ombudsman about our response to your OIA, under section 28(3) of the
OIA. Details of
how to make a complaint are on the Ombudsman’s website.
To make information more freely available, we publish selected OIA responses (excluding
personal details) on our website. Please get in touch with us if you have any questions about
this.
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Nāku noa, nā
Oliver Whitehead
Team Leader, Government Services
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