Five Million Voices

Should New Zealand speed up medicine approvals by accepting medicines already consented in two developed countries and let nurse and pharmacist prescribers prescribe unapproved medicines?

The bill amends the Medicines Act 1981 to reduce barriers to medicine access, including a faster approval pathway for medicines already consented overseas and expanded prescribing rights for some health practitioners.

MPs’ arguments for and against the bill

Why support it
  • Supporters argued the "rule of two" lets Medsafe approve within 30 days a medicine already consented in two other developed jurisdictions, speeding access for New Zealanders.
  • Supporters said allowing nurse practitioners and pharmacist prescribers to prescribe unapproved medicines within their scope helps maintain continuity of care during supply shortages.
  • Supporters noted the bill replaces a named list of overseas regulators with criteria, giving New Zealand flexibility and control over which regulators it relies on.
Why oppose it
  • Opponents argued the bill still requires a local sponsor and Pharmac funding incentives are unchanged, so it may not in practice speed up medicine availability in a small market.
  • Opponents objected to ministerial appointments to the Medicines Classification Committee, preferring that a technical committee be appointed by the Director-General.
  • Opponents criticised the late addition of changes on advertising at medical conferences during the committee stage, saying it bypassed select committee scrutiny and community input.

These are claims MPs made in Parliament’s debate — not verified facts.

Full bill summary & link to official bill page

The Medicines Amendment Bill updates the Medicines Act 1981, the law governing how medicines are approved, prescribed and supplied in New Zealand. Its centrepiece is a new "verification pathway": a medicine can gain New Zealand approval more quickly if it has already been authorised by two recognised overseas regulators, sparing it a full evaluation by Medsafe (the medicines safety authority). The Bill also widens who can prescribe medicines that are not formally approved here. All authorised prescribers would be able to supply an unapproved medicine when an approved one is in short supply, provided Pharmac funds the alternative, while nurse practitioners and pharmacist prescribers gain broader authority to prescribe unapproved medicines in other situations. Further changes update the Medicines Classification Committee, allow unapproved medicines to be advertised at medical conferences, and remove the rule barring prescribers from holding a financial interest in a pharmacy.

This is a government bill aimed at speeding New Zealanders' access to modern treatments and cutting duplication with overseas regulators that already assess the same products. Supporters argue patients too often wait years for medicines that are routine in comparable countries, and that leaning on trusted regulators such as those in Australia, the UK, the EU or the US lets scarce local resources focus on genuinely novel products, while the shortage provisions help patients when supplies fail. Critics counter that outsourcing judgement to foreign regulators could weaken scrutiny of risks specific to New Zealand's population and conditions, and that letting more clinicians prescribe unapproved medicines, and allowing prescribers to own stakes in pharmacies, creates safety and conflict-of-interest concerns that need careful oversight.

See the Parliament.nz ↗ site for the full bill.

Oppose (No) Support (Yes)

Medicines Amendment Bill · Third Reading, 11 Nov 2025
Agreed on the voices — no counted division.