New Zealand funds Zyban after GSK deal
This article was originally published in Scrip
The New Zealand pharmaceutical management agency Pharmac is to fund the smoking cessation product Zyban (bupropion) from July 1st, after reaching a deal with its manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline.
The agency says that funding for prescription-only Zyban comes from a multi-product agreement it reached with GSK that also included its herpes treatment, Valtrex (valaciclovir), and its spacer device for asthma inhalers, Volumatic. The agreement provides net savings to the pharmaceutical budget.
New Zealand already funds nicotine replacement therapies through the ministry of health’s Quitline programme, through which about 50,000 people use the therapies each year.
The agency expects the decision will increase the number of people using anti-smoking therapies, something it has seen in neighbouring Australia. Dr Peter Moodie, Pharmac's medical director, said: "This is because there seem to be a number of people who have tried and failed, or been reluctant to try nicotine replacement therapy, and these people will be attracted by the availability of a further treatment option." Smoking accounts for about 5,000 deaths each year in New Zealand.