Medicines-buying agency Pharmac says it believes it can soon fund devices that would remove the need for people with type 1 diabetes to prick a finger to check their blood sugar levels.

Pharmac announced on Tuesday it was seeking bids from suppliers of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and insulin pumps and pump accessories for people with type 1 diabetes.

For the past five years, Diabetes NZ has called on Pharmac to fund the devices, but Pharmac’s chief medical officer, Dr David Hughes, said the agency can only now consider the move following last year’s budget increase.

For the tens of thousands of New Zealanders living with type 1 diabetes, “having funded access to these devices would be life changing”, Hughes said.

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Pharmac looks set to fund 'life-changing' diabetes devices | Stuff.co.nz

(Stuff)