Over the past few months, Medicines New Zealand ran an online consultation on a discussion paper produced by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) looking at what kinds of leadership, services, workforce, funding, and technologies that are needed to support optimal use of medicines for better health outcomes for New Zealanders in the future. The consultation allowed stakeholders to provide inputs to be fed into a new generation medicines policy.
“There were over 400 contributions to the consultation from a range of respondents, and we would like to thank every individual and organisation that has participated in the consultation. This feedback will be analysed and used to inform the consultation report to be presented to a range of stakeholders including the government” said Dr Graeme Jarvis, CEO of Medicines New Zealand.
The consultation was undertaken because 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 It is out of date and does not cover many of the new and emerging system and modern medicine innovations happening globally. Medicines were also not included within the scope of the government’s recent Health and Disability System Review.
While the consultation has now formally closed, a number of stakeholders have requested an extension of time and we plan to have a follow-up hui and meetings with critical stakeholders as part of the next stages of the process.
“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 utilise these to generate both a fit-for-purpose modern medicines policy and a future-focussed strategy ” said Dr Lee Mathias, Chairman of Medicines New Zealand.
If anyone wishes to engage about the consultation, please contact us at [email protected]
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