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New Zealand is dead last in the OECD when it comes to getting access to modern medicines.
A report by Medicines New Zealand shows OECD countries made a total of 441 modern medicines available, with New Zealand funding just 34 of them and it's taken twice as long to do so than countries.
Medicines New Zealand chief executive Graeme Jarvis told Andrew Dickens it's quite depressing.
"We're close to being past the point of no return, really, when it comes to accessing these modern medicines that the rest of the developed world certainly seems to be able to find an ability to fund and provide to its patients and healthcare systems."
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