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Medicines New Zealand consulting on a new generation medicines policy

The New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) have produced a discussion paper for Medicines New Zealand in order to look at what kinds of leadership, services, workforce, funding, and technologies are needed to support optimal use of medicines for better health outcomes for New Zealanders in the future.

“We know the government is busy and cannot get to everything. So, if we can present them with clear ideas and collaborative solutions it will make it easier for them to discuss them and produce a modern medicines policy that all stakeholders can be proud of” said Dr Graeme Jarvis, CEO of Medicines New Zealand.

New Zealand's current medicines strategy is 13 years old and the current plan expires this year. It is out of date and does not cover many of the new and emerging developments. Medicines were also not included within the scope in the government’s recent Health and Disability System Review.  

The consultation has now opened and will be open until 6 July 2020. At the end of the consultation, the feedback will be analysed and used to inform a stakeholder consultation report to be presented to a range of stakeholders including the government. 

“We want to hear from stakeholders who can improve on the ideas in the discussion paper in a collaborative way. A diverse range of perspectives from different stakeholders will make the end result that much stronger. This is similar to the strong response we are now seeing as a result of collaboration between industry, government and other stakeholders for COVID-19 vaccines and medicines development.” said Dr Lee Mathias, Chair of Medicines New Zealand.

More information on consultation is available here.

ENDS

Medicines New Zealand is the industry group representing biopharmaceutical companies operating in New Zealand. We work to provide modern medicines as part of a high-quality public health system. Our objective is to ensure that New Zealanders have access to the right medicines at the right time.

Contact:
Kristen Edwards, Communications Advisor, Medicines New Zealand.
Ph: 027 534 6461