Pharmac widens access to medicine for high cholesterol for everyone

Associate Health Minister David Seymour welcomes Pharmac’s proposal to widen access to Rosuvastatin based on clinical need. 

“Improving access to medicines in New Zealand is important to patients and their families. That’s why it has been a focus for this Government,” Mr Seymour says.

Pharmac will widen access to Rosuvastatin from 1 October 2026 by removing all eligibility criteria, including ethnicity criteria. It will remain a prescription only medicine, so clinicians will decide who needs it. 

“Rosuvastatin lowers cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes in people with high cholesterol. Clinicians are best placed to determine who needs Rosuvastatin. If a clinician thinks a patient would benefit from this medicine, they should be able to prescribe it to them, regardless of their ethnicity,” Mr Seymour says. 

“Supporting earlier and more effective management of high cholesterol for everyone will reduce avoidable hospital admissions and improve health outcomes.

“Around 76,000 New Zealanders currently use rosuvastatin each year. We estimate that once we change the eligibility criteria about 81,000 more people would access it in the first year, growing to about 108,000 more people over five years. People already receiving these medicines will not be affected by the proposed changes. 

“Pharmac can afford to pay for this through their 2025/26 Annual Tender. The annual tender helps Pharmac manage how much New Zealand spends on medicines by reducing the cost of those we already fund. Annual tender changes allow Pharmac to free up between $30 million and $50 million to spend on new medicines annually.

“Pharmac heard through previous funding decisions, consultations, and engagement with health professionals and consumers that there is strong support for today’s decision. Because Pharmac already knew there is strong support for this decision, they didn’t want to waste time on further consultation. It’s great to see Pharmac move swiftly with this decision. The sooner people can access this medicine, the better.

“We’re making the system work better for the people it serves. When people can access their medicines easily, they stay healthier for longer. It also reduces pressure on other parts of the health system.”

A person is currently eligible for treatment with Rosuvastatin: 

if they are considered at risk of cardiovascular disease and are Māori or Pacific; or 
if they have a 15% or higher chance of having a heart attack over the next five years, and their cholesterol is above a certain level after trying other funded statin medications; or
if they have established cardiovascular disease, and their cholesterol is above a certain level after trying other funded statin medications; or 
if they have a genetic disease that causes them to have high cholesterol, and their cholesterol is above a certain level after trying other funded statin medications. ...