10 June 2016 - PHARMAC has negotiated a more than $100 million per year saving on the price of six medicines it will now fund for New Zealanders.

Medicine to treat six diseases, including for advanced melanoma and hepatitis C, will now be funded, it was confirmed yesterday.

PHARMAC chief executive Steffan Crausaz said the six treatments would cost more than $180 million a year on the open market.

That would account for about 20 per cent of the total medicines budget, and is more than the $39 million extra annual funding given to PHARMAC in last month's Budget.

For more details, go to: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11654286