Pharmac was established in 1993 and is responsible for purchasing publicly-funded medicines for New Zealanders, including those prescribed by GPs or administered in hospitals.

This is the first independent report into Pharmac since it was established more than 25 years ago. The review panel was asked to consider how well Pharmac performed against what it was asked to do and whether its performance could be improved. It was also asked to look at timeliness of decision-making, transparency, and equity of outcomes, particularly for Māori, Pacific people, disabled people, and those with rare disorders.

While the interim report does not make recommendations, it signals the areas of main concern and where the panel is now doing more work.