TL;DR
An Australian pharmacy will continue to send lower-cost diabetes equipment across the Tasman, despite a cease and desist from a medical manufacturer.
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“This is $130 that my whānau, and many other whānau, could have in their pocket each month,” she told them.
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manufacturer Medtronic had sent David Jones Pharmacy a letter threatening legal action if the company continued to supply Kiwi customers with the sensors.
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The pharmacy was “not a legally authorised distributor of Medtronic diabetes products in New Zealand”
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“We have chosen to ignore [the letter] as it was built upon unsubstantiated accusations,” Le said.
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“It creates a massive inequity for families who don’t have the financial means to pay a weekly amount, and it’s also a contributing risk to longer term health outcomes.
“It’s really expensive to keep them alive. By not funding [sensors] you are risking the lives of kids who don’t have that layer of privilege.”
I fucking hate this bullshit. Hong Le is a hero.
It seems Pharmac are current;y close to subsidising CGM’s and pumps for all Type 1 Diabetics. That should prevent the need to bypass the system to get the meds/devices needed.
I wait until it really happens on 1 July 2024 to be sure though. Wouldn’t surprise me if Diabetics who have good control over their condition might be excluded due to costs.