Pharmac Expands Access to Cholesterol Drug Rosuvastatin

Rosuvastatin is used to lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in people with high cholesterol.

Thousands more New Zealanders are expected to gain access to the cholesterol-lowering medicine Rosuvastatin after Pharmac announced it will remove all eligibility criteria from 1 October 2026, allowing doctors to prescribe the medicine based solely on clinical need.

Associate Health Minister David Seymour welcomed the decision, saying patients should be able to receive the treatment their clinician believes is best for them without restrictions linked to ethnicity or other funding criteria. Rosuvastatin will remain a prescription-only medicine, with prescribing decisions continuing to rest with healthcare professionals.

More patients expected to benefit over coming years

Rosuvastatin is used to lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in people with high cholesterol. Under the new policy, clinicians will be free to prescribe the medicine whenever they believe it is appropriate, regardless of a patient's ethnic background.

Around 76,000 New Zealanders currently use Rosuvastatin each year. Pharmac estimates that removing the funding restrictions will allow about 81,000 additional people to access the medicine during the first year, with that number expected to grow to around 108,000 over the next five years. People already receiving the medicine will continue their treatment without any changes.

Savings from medicine purchasing support wider access

The expanded access will be funded through Pharmac's 2025/26 Annual Tender, which helps lower the cost of medicines already funded by securing competitive prices from suppliers. According to the Government, the savings generated through this process typically free up between $30 million and $50 million each year, allowing Pharmac to invest in additional medicines without increasing overall spending.

Pharmac said there was already strong support for removing the restrictions following previous funding decisions, consultations and discussions with health professionals and consumers. The agency decided not to carry out another round of consultation so that eligible patients could benefit sooner. Seymour said making medicines easier to access helps people stay healthier, reduces avoidable hospital admissions and eases pressure on New Zealand's wider health system.