# Advocate wants longer-term plan for medicines funding

> National pledges $604m for medicines but advocate calls for sustainable funding plan.
- Title: Advocate wants longer-term plan for medicines funding · RNZ
- Summary: National pledges $604m for medicines but advocate calls for sustainable funding plan. Advocate group urges National to create long-term funding strategy for…
- Keywords: pharmac, national party, blood cancer, options for investment list, oecd, health budget, medicines funding, politics, news, Advocate, wants, longer-term
- Source: RNZ — https://rnz.co.nz/news/political/1764389/advocate-wants-longer-term-plan-for-medicines-funding
- Author: RNZ | Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa
- Published: 2026-10-06T05:55:02+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: pharmac, national party, blood cancer, options for investment list, oecd, health budget, medicines funding, politics, news
## National's medicine pledge
National promises $604 million for Pharmac to fund new medicines if re-elected.
## Blood cancer commitment
National promised free life-prolonging drugs for blood cancer patients in 2023 election.
## Funding gap remains
Pharmac's recommended list requires $800m over four years but National's pledge falls short.
## OECD comparison
New Zealand spends 4.9 percent of health budget on medicines versus OECD average of 13.3 percent.
## Patient impact
82 percent of New Zealanders think funding medicines is critically important to their health.
## Future plan
ACT pledges to increase health budget share for medicines by 1 percentage point yearly to reach Australia's level by 2033.
## Key takeaway

Advocate group urges National to create long-term funding strategy for medicines after current pledge falls short of OECD standards.