Decision pending on diabetes medications
Should new medicines to treat type 2 diabetes be funded?
Should more than 50,000 people receive funding for the drugs?
Government drug-funding agency Pharmac is expected to decide next week whether it will fund two new medicines to treat type 2 diabetes.
Botany resident Graham King and thousands of other people who suffer from the condition hope the decision will fall in their favour.
King (pictured) pays $100 a month for Dapagliflozin, which is used to treat the condition.
Despite the cost, he said it helps control his diabetes and has cut the amount of insulin he has to take.
He said he doesn't think people should endure what he has had to to get modern medicines, like Dapagliflozin, Empagliflozin and Dulaglutide, to treat the condition.
"I'm just lucky I can afford $100 a month."
Figures released by the Ministry of Health last year showed there were 45,266 people registered in the Counties Manukau area with type 2 diabetes in 2019.
Pharmac chief executive Sarah Fitt said that next week its board will look at funding both Empagliflozin and Dulaglutide for 50,000 New Zealanders with type two diabetes who have a high risk of complications such as heart and kidney disease.
"Clinical experts told us that there is evidence for significant benefit from these two medicines in people with established or at high risk of cardiovascular and/or renal disease," she said.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we are having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Calling All Puzzle Masters! Can You Solve This?
When John was six years old he hammered a nail into his favorite tree to mark his height.
Ten years later at age sixteen, John returned to see how much higher the nail was.
If the tree grew by five centimetres each year, how much higher would the nail be?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
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Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.