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.
Say goodbye to tyre waste
About 40% of the 6.5 million tyres Kiwis use every year are recycled, repurposed, or used as tyre-derived fuel. But the rest end up in landfills, stockpiled or dumped.
The good news is now there’s an easy solution to all that tyre waste. It’s called Tyrewise and is New Zealand’s first national tyre recycling scheme.
Tyrewise ensures that tyres in Aotearoa New Zealand are recycled or repurposed properly, saving millions from going to the landfill.
Find out more about the scheme online.
Poll: Does the building consent process need to change?
We definitely need homes that are fit to live in but there are often frustrations when it comes to getting consent to modify your own home.
Do you think changes need made to the current process for building consent? Share your thoughts below.
Type 'Not For Print' if you wish your comments to be excluded from the Conversations column of your local paper.
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91.7% Yes
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7.8% No
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0.5% Other - I'll share below!
Trucks Parking in Residential Streets
How do people feel about truck and trailer units parking in our residential streets? Manuroa and Airfield Roads in Takanini are truck parks every night. This is a safety issue as trucks and buses cross onto the wrong side of the road to pass them. They also block sight lines for people leaving their properties and turning out of side streets. Parking beside reserves and playgrounds means children are stepping out from behind these vehicles to cross our busy streets. The empty flatbed trailer units are hard to see at night, especially in wet weather. There have been at least two accidents in Takanini, one fatal, involving cars hitting these trailers. The Takanini Residents Group have raised this with the Papakura Local Board and Auckland Council, but as these vehicles are legally parked, we are told there is nothing that can be done. I know this is a problem in other areas in South Auckland, so I would like to hear what people think about this issue.
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