Pharmac will remove all eligibility restrictions on the cholesterol medication Rosuvastatin from 1 October 2026, leaving prescription decisions to clinicians.
The changes will eliminate criteria-based access including ethnicity-based requirements, though the drug will remain prescription-only. Around 76,000 New Zealanders currently use Rosuvastatin each year, with an estimated 81,000 additional people expected to access it in the first year.
Associate Health Minister David Seymour said "clinicians are best placed to determine who needs Rosuvastatin. If a clinician thinks a patient would benefit from this medicine, they should be able to prescribe it to them, regardless of their ethnicity".
Pharmac will fund the expanded access through savings from its 2025/26 Annual Tender, which makes available $30 million to $50 million each year for new medicines. The agency decided against further consultation after previous engagement showed strong support for the change.
Rosuvastatin is used to manage elevated cholesterol levels and decrease the likelihood of cardiovascular events including heart attacks and strokes.