On 31 March 2025 the Medicines Amendment Bill was introduced to the House of Representatives.
The Medicines Amendment Bill amends the Medicines Act 1981 to improve access to medicines. The Bill does this by:
- introducing a streamlined verification pathway for medicines approval in New Zealand, and;
- updating prescribing settings to enable wider prescribing of unapproved medicines in appropriate circumstances.
You can read the announcements on the Beehive website:
- Rule of Two for faster access to medicines
- Expanding prescriber rights will increase access to medicines
The Bill also updates details of the membership and terms of the Medicines Classification Committee in the Medicines Act.
The Bill has passed its first reading and has been referred to the Health Select Committee for consideration. The Health Select Committee has invited public submissions on the Bill, so members of the public can comment on the Bill before it becomes law.
You can make a submission on the Bill on the Health Select Committee website.
You can find information about how to make a submission and take part in the process on the Parliament website.
Further information on the Verification pathway
The Bill sets out requirements that medicines must meet to be considered through the verification pathway. The Bill creates a rule making power and provides for the detailed processes for the verification pathway to be set in secondary legislation (rules made by the Minister of Health). Secondary legislation cannot be made until the Bill has passed, but in order to provide information on the possible pathway processes, we provide the following. Consultation on the rules and guidance will be undertaken if the Bill is passed following Parliament’s consideration.
