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A medical advocacy organisation says thousands of Kiwi heart patients are missing out on a proven, life-saving heart medication because it is not publicly funded.
Kia Manawanui Trust – The Heart of Aotearoa is calling on Pharmac to fund a class of medicines called PCSK9 inhibitors that reduce “bad” cholesterol.
This medicine could transform the lives of an estimated one in 250 New Zealanders living with familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), a genetic condition that causes dangerously high “bad” cholesterol, putting them at risk of heart attack or stroke at an early age.
For father-of-one Korie Nicol, every heartbeat carries uncertainty.
“I’m still young,” the 50-year-old says.
“I want to minimise deterioration as much as I can, because I want to be around for my son for a long time.
“I’ve got a lot more life to live and a lot more to give.”
Matt Goddin, 46, feels the same fear. Heart disease has already claimed his grandfather and uncle at a young age and Matt worries he may be next.
“I just want to survive and be there for my wife and our three young children as they grow up.”
PCSK9 medicines can dramatically lower levels of “bad” cholesterol, offering patients like Nicol and Goddin a real chance at longer, healthier lives, but in New Zealand, these treatments aren’t funded.
Patients must either pay thousands of dollars themselves or go without, leaving their cholesterol dangerously high.
Currently funded cholesterol medications aren’t enough to reduce “bad” cholesterol to a safe level for patients living with FH.
Trust chief executive Letitia Harding says the situation reflects a wider national failure.
“Unfortunately, their stories are not unique.
It’s the reality for thousands of New Zealand families living with FH, an inherited heart disease.
“They are living with a constant ticking time bomb inside their chest, while the treatments that could save their lives are sitting on the shelf, out of reach.”
The lack of funded treatment options for heart disease, in general, is appalling, Harding says.
“We are decades behind other countries, including Australia, where these medications are already funded and changing lives.”
Pharmac needs to ring-fence a dedicated fund for cardiac drugs, she says.
“Heart disease is the number one killer in New Zealand, so it makes sense to do this.
“Every day we delay funding vital heart medications means more heart attacks and deaths that could be prevented.”
