Forbidden Pharmacy Auckland: 200+ Unfunded Medicines Put on Display

Auckland’s Forbidden Pharmacy installation has renewed pressure on the New Zealand Government over access to more than 200 medicines that are available or publicly funded overseas but remain outside the country’s publicly funded health system.

The one-day exhibition was held at Shed 10 on Auckland’s waterfront on Saturday, July 25, 2026. Seventeen patient and health organisations supported the campaign, representing people affected by cancer, migraine, rare diseases, blood disorders and other serious or long-term conditions.

The physical exhibition has closed, but the campaign is continuing online. As of July 27, 2026, the Government had not announced a commitment to fund every treatment represented in the installation.

What was the Forbidden Pharmacy?

The installation was designed to resemble a pharmacy, but medicine packets and bottles were displayed behind locked doors. The presentation illustrated how treatments can exist and be used overseas while remaining financially out of reach for many New Zealand patients.

It opened to the public from 10am to 5pm at Shed 10, 89 Quay Street, near The Cloud. Politicians from National, Labour, ACT and New Zealand First visited before the public session.

The campaign is intended to make access to modern medicines an election issue. Its organisers say families should not have to depend on private insurance, personal savings, public fundraising or overseas travel to obtain recommended treatment.

Which medicines were displayed?

The exhibition included more than 200 treatments across areas such as cancer, migraine, neurological conditions, blood disorders and rare diseases.

Some were associated with applications on Pharmac’s Options for Investment list. Four migraine-prevention medicines were highlighted by Migraine Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand, which said they were developed specifically to prevent migraine and are recommended as first-line options by the American Headache Society.

Not every medicine described as unavailable has the same regulatory or funding status. Some may have Medsafe approval but no public funding, while others may not yet be approved for supply in New Zealand. A medicine may also be funded for one disease but not another.

Why vorasidenib was a major focus

One of the featured treatments was vorasidenib, marketed as Voranigo. It is designed for certain patients with grade-two glioma carrying an IDH mutation.

Brain Tumour Support New Zealand describes it as the first medicine approved specifically for this form of brain tumour and the first major treatment development for the condition in more than 20 years.

Vorasidenib is taken following surgery to slow tumour growth and delay radiation or chemotherapy. That delay may allow eligible patients to remain free from more intensive treatment for longer, although suitability must be assessed by a specialist.

The organisation estimates about 250 people in New Zealand could potentially benefit immediately, with another 15 to 25 diagnosed each year. The medicine is publicly funded for eligible patients in the United Kingdom but was not publicly funded in New Zealand at the time of the Auckland event.

How Pharmac decides what receives funding

Pharmac, formally known as Te Pātaka Whaioranga, manages New Zealand’s publicly funded medicines budget. It assesses applications using clinical evidence and factors including health need, expected benefit, suitability, treatment cost and possible savings elsewhere in the health system.

Applications may be placed on one of three priority lists: Options for Investment, funding only if the proposal is cost-neutral or saves money, or recommended for decline.

An application on the Options for Investment list has completed assessment and may be funded when budget and commercial conditions allow. Placement does not guarantee funding, establish a waiting period or provide a decision date.

Pharmac reported 139 applications on the Options for Investment list as of March 15, 2026. The figure does not mean there were 139 individual medicines because one product may have separate applications for several conditions or patient groups.

The agency receives more than 100 applications each year. It keeps the ranking of applications confidential because public disclosure could affect negotiations with pharmaceutical suppliers. Pharmac’s March 2026 priority-list update provides the latest published total.

Medsafe approval and Pharmac funding are different

Medsafe and Pharmac perform separate functions. Medsafe evaluates whether a medicine can be approved for supply based on its quality, safety and effectiveness. Pharmac decides whether an approved treatment will be paid for through the public health system and which patients qualify.

A Medsafe approval does not automatically provide free or subsidised access. Pharmac funding may also be restricted to certain diseases, stages of illness or groups of patients.

Even when a medicine is funded, access criteria can be narrow. Patients may need a confirmed diagnosis, previous treatment failure, specified test results or an application from an appropriate specialist.

Patients describe the personal cost

Jemma Gerring was diagnosed with stage-four bowel cancer in late 2023 after seeking help for symptoms she initially thought could be appendicitis. Although she has health insurance, its contribution towards her unfunded care is capped.

Gerring has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on medicine and life-extending surgery in Australia. She travels from New Plymouth to Palmerston North every two weeks to receive bevacizumab, which she pays for privately for her condition.

Bevacizumab has funding for some uses in New Zealand, but medicine funding is often specific to a disease and eligibility criteria. Funding for one cancer does not mean every patient with another cancer can receive the same treatment publicly.

Bart Schroder, diagnosed with aggressive metastatic prostate cancer five years ago, accessed an unfunded medicine through insurance. He believes receiving treatment early helped him remain well and continue working.

Their experiences show how insurance limits, treatment indications and travel requirements can produce different options for patients with similar medical needs.

How New Zealand compared internationally

A June 2026 report produced by pharmaceutical industry groups PhRMA and Medicines New Zealand examined 477 modern medicines first launched globally between January 2016 and December 2025.

The analysis found that New Zealand had publicly funded 24 of those medicines, or approximately 5 percent. The average among the 20 comparable OECD countries included in the report was 157 medicines.

It calculated that New Zealand took an average of 62 months from a medicine’s first global launch to public funding. The average across the selected countries was 34 months.

The findings require context because the research was produced by pharmaceutical industry organisations. It also did not fully measure restrictions that can limit access after a medicine receives public funding.

What campaign organisations want changed

Tim Edmonds, chief executive of Blood Cancer New Zealand and a spokesperson for the campaign, said some families take on debt, remortgage homes, relocate or travel long distances to obtain treatment.

The participating organisations want medicines already recommended for investment funded progressively over three years. They are then seeking sustained investment intended to prevent another large backlog from developing.

The campaign is focused on the overall medicines system rather than asking the Government to approve every displayed treatment automatically. Each medicine would still require clinical assessment, regulatory approval where applicable, price negotiations and appropriate eligibility rules.

What patients can do now

People seeking access to a particular treatment should speak with their specialist about whether it is approved, publicly funded for their condition and subject to eligibility requirements.

Pharmac’s online Application Tracker can show whether a funding request is being assessed, prioritised, funded or considered for decline. However, an application’s exact position on the Options for Investment list is not disclosed.

In exceptional clinical circumstances, a treating clinician may be able to submit a Named Patient Pharmaceutical Assessment application to Pharmac. Approval is not automatic and depends on the individual case meeting the relevant requirements.

Patients considering private treatment should request a full estimate covering the medicine, specialist fees, administration, monitoring, travel and likely treatment duration. Insurance limits should be confirmed before treatment begins, and prescription medicines should not be purchased from unverified overseas sellers.

Latest update after the Auckland event

The Shed 10 installation ended on July 25, but the wider advocacy campaign remains active online. No blanket funding decision covering the displayed medicines had been announced by July 27, 2026.

Future changes will depend on individual Pharmac decisions rather than a single approval for the entire collection. Funding announcements and changes to eligibility are published through the Pharmaceutical Schedule and Pharmac’s consultation and decision pages.

The campaign comes during wider scrutiny of New Zealand’s health system. Recent concerns have included the MediMap cyberattack affecting aged-care medication services and an Auckland health alert involving exotic mosquito larvae.