Meeting with Ministers
On 16 July we met with Members of Parliament from the Labour Party in the Labour Caucus Room at Parliament. This was organised by Patient Voice Aotearoa, the coalition of patient advocacy groups that is focused on improving access to modern medicines in Aotearoa New Zealand. Twelve representatives from different groups attended the meeting in […]
Our answers to questions from Seven Sharp
Migraine featured in the media again on Monday 1 July, with an item on Seven Sharp, TVNZ’s current affairs and news show at 7pm. It started well, with Hilary Barry stating that “migraines are not your typical headache and can’t be treated with a big glass of water and paracetamol” but in a bizarre contradiction […]
What does the boost to Pharmac’s budget mean for people with migraine?
And the importance of having a charity like ours advocating for medications Migraine Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand welcomes the Government’s announcement on Monday of a $604 million boost to Pharmac’s budget over the next four years. In early June, Pharmac added three migraine-specific preventive medications – galcanezumab (Emgality), erenumab (Aimovig) and atogepant (Qulipta) – to its Options […]
A false economy?
Press release Budget 2024 ignores over 753,000 people affected by one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most disabling conditions The number of people estimated to be affected by migraine disease in Aotearoa New Zealand has risen from 642,000 to 753,000. Migraine ranks in the top four conditions in Aotearoa New Zealand for the highest number of […]
Shades for Migraine 2024
Shades for Migraine 2024 is fast approaching, so grab your sunnies, get creative and help raise awareness of migraine. What is Shades for Migraine? Shades for Migraine® is a global awareness campaign to raise awareness for the 1 billion people living with migraine disease worldwide, run by the Association of Migraine Disorders. Shades for Migraine […]
Modern migraine medications added to Pharmac’s Options for Investment list
Funding of galcanezumab (Emgality), erenumab (Aimovig) and atogepant (Qulipta) progressed one step closer this week, with Pharmac adding these migraine-specific medications to its Options for Investment list for the prevention of both episodic and chronic migraine. All three of these medications target calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), which is a neuropeptide involved in triggering and sustaining […]
Our partnership with the Neurological Alliance
Migraine Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand is a member of the Neurological Alliance, a collection of (currently) 20 member groups representing the one in three New Zealanders who are or will be affected by a neurological condition during their lifetime. Other members include Stroke Foundation of NZ, Epilepsy NZ, Dementia NZ, Brain Injury NZ, Parkinsons NZ, […]
Inaugural NZ Medicine Access Summit
The first-ever national event to discuss New Zealand’s woeful access to modern medicines was held in Wellington, 29-30 April, at Parliament and hosted by The Honorable David Seymour, Associate Minister of Health. Fiona Imlach and Suzanne Value from Migraine Foundation Aotearoa NZ attended. The event was organized by Patient Voice Aotearoa, a volunteer-run advocacy group […]
Pharmac proposes to decline zolmitriptan after 17 years of waiting
Jump back to 2007. More than fifteen years ago, in 1991, sumatriptan was launched, the first acute medication specifically designed to treat migraine attacks by targeting a serotonin receptor found in blood vessels in the brain. It was described as miraculous. In half of patients, sumatriptan aborted attacks and reduced pain in 70%. Pain, nausea, […]
Neurological Advisory Committee meeting presentation
“The stories were heartbreaking” That was the comment from Dr Brian Anderson, Chair of Pharmac’s Neurological Advisory Committee, when speaking about the collection of stories we gave to Pharmac and the Committee about people’s experiences of living with migraine in Aotearoa New Zealand. These stories made an impression. No one can deny the reality of […]
