Pharmac to fund continuous glucose monitors for thousands of people with type 1 diabetes
Pharmac – Te Pātaka Whaioranga has decided to fund continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), insulin pumps, and insulin pump consumables for people with type 1 diabetes from 1 October 2024.
“It’s been a long wait for people with type 1 diabetes to reach this point. We thank the diabetes community for their patience as we’ve worked through the commercial process and the significant feedback we’ve received along the way,” says Adrienne Martin, Pharmac’s Manager of Pharmaceutical Funding.
“We know this decision will make a real difference to thousands of people and their whānau who face the daily challenges of managing their type 1 diabetes health care, and we are so pleased to provide funding for these life-changing products.”
About 12,000 people with type 1 diabetes are expected to receive CGMs in the first year of funding, rising to more than 18,000 after five years. There are about 4,800 people currently using insulin pumps and Pharmac expects this number to increase to nearly 10,000 over five years.
During consultation, some people asked Pharmac to add Medtronic’s brand of CGMs and insulin pumps to the funding proposal. Martin says that Pharmac will not be including the Medtronic devices in the funded options because doing so would mean restarting the commercial process.
“We have been told by our clinical advisors that the options we have chosen will give people with type 1 diabetes choice and flexibility – and that they will work for most people. After assessing the feedback and weighing up the different factors, we considered that restarting the process would have had a significant impact on people who would benefit from having these devices available now.
“So, we have made some changes to the decision to make it easier for people using the Medtronic pump to change to one of the funded options. I appreciate this will be difficult news for the people who wanted us to add the Medtronic devices and hope that the changes we have made will make a change easier for them.”
From 1 January 2025 the Medtronic MiniMed 770G insulin pump will no longer be funded for people new to insulin pumps and the funding for the consumables will stop on 1 October 2026.
The CEO of Diabetes New Zealand, Heather Verry, welcomed the decision.
“This is a monumental day for the diabetes community. Free access to CGMs and insulin pumps will not only be life changing for thousands of New Zealanders with type 1 diabetes – it will also be lifesaving. We know that for our type 1 community, this is more than just vital technology, it’s a lifeline for better health and greater freedom. Quite simply, it’s a game-changer.”
Endocrinologist and President of the New Zealand Society for the Study of Diabetes, Dr Rosemary Hall, says: “This is the biggest day for people with type 1 diabetes in Aotearoa since the arrival of insulin. Now we have the tools to help people access the highest quality of care. We’re going to see a reduction in diabetes related distress, fewer hospitalisations and medical complications, and huge improvement in our community’s mental wellbeing and quality of life.”
Chair of the National Clinical Network for Children and Young People with Diabetes, Dr Jo McClintock, says: “Our pēpi, tamariki, and rangatahi with type 1 diabetes are unlikely to see anything more important than this decision, in their lifetime. The impact of having this technology available for the parents and loved ones of young people with type 1 diabetes is going to be immeasurable – there will be lots of happy tears within whānau today.”
Karen Reed, who lives with type 1 diabetes, is thrilled to know in one month’s time she’ll be able to access a fully funded, automated insulin delivery system. “I’ve lived with type 1 diabetes for over 40 years. I’ve watched my family overseas using these devices so I’m so excited that I will have access to this life-changing technology too. Thank you to everyone who’s helped us get here.”