Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne today released the updated action plan for New Zealand's Medicines Strategy, Actioning Medicines New Zealand 2010.

Mr Dunne said he was delighted with the progress to date but that work still remained to be done.

"Medicines play a vital role in the delivery of modern healthcare and are an integral part of the health and disability system. It is important we have a clearly agreed approach to improving their quality and safety, and supporting their best use," he said

He said appropriate access to the medicines needed was also critical.

"These three areas are what we want the medicines system to deliver.

"We've made considerable progress on these areas already and we expect to make more this year," Mr Dunne said.

This update of Actioning Medicines New Zealand sees the removal of some actions already completed, amending other actions to better reflect the current environment and reiterating support for initiatives underway since its first release in December 2007.

The commitment shown by Pharmac to increase stakeholder participation and improve transparency in its processes has been considerable and there will be ongoing work for Pharmac in this area, including streamlining its consumer engagement processes, he said.

Priority areas in the next phase of the medicines strategy will include activities to contribute to optimal use of medicines such as:

• minor changes to medicines law to balance consumer protection with greater access to new medicines and innovative practice


• continuing the work initiated last year in conjunction with the Pharmaceutical Society to ensure we are making the best possible use of the highly trained pharmacist workforce

Options for improving access to high-cost, highly specialised medicines are expected later this year from a specialist panel, and the first step towards a formulary providing independent information about medicines for health practitioners is also underway.

Extending Pharmac's role to generate greater savings from hospital medicines, vaccines and some medical devices is another option outlined in the updated action plan.

Mr Dunne said Pharmac's considerable success in improving access to medicines within the funding available should be extended.  

"This is a good step particularly as Pharmac has responded well to making its processes more transparent - a move that has been received well by many sector groups.

"It makes good sense to see if the country can benefit from using Pharmac's systems more broadly," he said.

The updated Actioning Medicines New Zealand 2010 is available at

http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/actioning-medicines-nz