3 August 2017
Via email: fyi-request-6143-
[email address]
Dear Virginia
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
Thank you for your request dated 06 July 2017 under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA),
for information relating to the annual cost of providing the HPV vaccine (Gardasil/Gardasil 9).
You also requested the annual cost to be broken down into the cost per child.
We have interpreted your request to mean the cost (based upon the manufacturer’s price) of
Gardasil payable to the pharmaceutical supplier and the cost broken down into the cost per
injection.
The total annual cost for Gardasil by financial year (1 July – 30 June):
2014/15 was $10,048,700;
2015/16 was $10,106,525; and
2016/17 was $15,775,095.
The cost per injection is as follows:
Gardasil 9 (2015): $141.50
Gardasil 4 (2016): $128.50
Please note the actual price PHARMAC pays to the pharmaceutical supplier for Gardasil is
confidential and differs to the manufacturer’s price payable as set out above and as such this
information is being withheld under the OIA, as we consider this necessary to:
protect information where the making available of the information would be likely to
unreasonably prejudice the commercial position of the person who supplied or who is the
subject of the information (section 9(2)(b)(ii));
protect information which is subject to an obligation of confidence or which any person
has been or could be compelled to provide under the authority of any enactment, where
the making available of the information would be likely to prejudice the supply of similar
information, or information from the same source, and it is in the public interest that such
information should continue to be supplied (section 9(2)(ba)(i)); and
enable PHARMAC to carry out, without prejudice or disadvantage, commercial activities
(section 9(2)(i)).
As required under the OIA, we also considered whether, in the circumstances, the
withholding of this information was outweighed by other considerations which render it
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desirable, in the public interest, to make this information available. In this case we did not
consider that the public interest outweighed the reasons for withholding the information.
Please note you have the right, by way of complaint under section 28(3) of the OIA to an
Ombudsman, to seek an investigation and review of our decision.
We trust that the provision of this information answers your query, if you have any further
questions please feel free to contact us again.
Yours sincerely
Jude Urlich
Director, Engagement and Implementation
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