The Cancer Society has called for an overhaul of Pharmac, the government's drug-buying agency.
In a submission to the new High Cost Medicines Review Panel, the society called for more transparency in the agency's decision-making, and for centralised funding of cancer drugs rather than the existing regional system, the Sunday Star-Times reported.
The society was concerned Pharmac was ill-equipped to deal with the funding pressures raised by the rising number of oncology drugs being developed and licensed, and that small, single-interest lobby groups were having undue influence.
Last year a highly effective public relations campaign by breast cancer sufferers saw the National Party, then in opposition, promise to greatly extend Pharmac's funding of the costly drug Herceptin, a pledge honoured after their election victory.
The society said Pharmac needed to divorce itself from the job of prioritising cancer drugs and focus on buying them.
It proposed a highly specialised medicines and treatment panel be set up to prioritise new therapies.
About 16,000 New Zealanders develop cancer each year but that figure is expected to rise to 22,000 by 2011.
Health Minister Tony Ryall set up the High Cost Medicines Review Panel in May to recommend how to improve access to high-cost, highly specialised medicines in New Zealand.
NZPA