Therapeutic Products Regulatory Scheme

A Therapeutic Products Bill is being developed to replace the Medicine Act 1981 and establish a new regulatory scheme for therapeutic products.

As part of this draft Bill, personal importation of medicines would be restricted: Section 76 would not allow consumers to order prescription medicines from an overseas supplier.

The only way to access off-label medicines (used for a purpose other than what it was developed for) from overseas would be through a doctor who will use a special clinical needs supply authority, and the issuer will have to be a pharmacist or wholesaler - they would then import the medicine for the patient.

There is a consultation paper and discussion forums to seek feedback before it is introduced to Parliament. NZORD’s Lisa Foster attended the Wellington forum on 21 March during which there was an explanation that there is always a trade off between access and safety relating to barriers and increasing costs. The hope from the Ministry of Health is to ensure all perspectives are heard so the Therapeutic Products Bill can be balanced.

Some issues that were raised included:

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Questions you may wish to offer feedback on:

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