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Proposed Changes to New Zealand’s Medicines Legislation in the Medicines Amendment Bill 2011

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Abstract

This article evaluates New Zealand’s Medicines Amendment Bill 2011. This Bill is currently before Parliament and will amend the Medicines Act 1981. On June 20, 2011, the Australian and New Zealand governments announced their decision to proceed with a joint scheme for the regulation of therapeutic products such as medicines, medical devices, and new medical interventions. Eventually, the joint arrangements will be administered by a single regulatory agency: the Australia New Zealand Therapeutic Products Agency. The medicines regulations in Australia and New Zealand will be updated as part of this process. The Medicines Amendment Bill addresses some of the well-recognised deficiencies in the Medicines Act 1981. However, a comprehensive overhaul of the Act is not being undertaken. I argue that repealing and replacing the Medicines Act 1981 would be preferable and advisable, given the number of legal difficulties with the Act and, in particular, where it does not align with equivalent current international law.

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Acknowledgments

I am very grateful to Dr. Robinson and Malcolm McDonald for their comments on earlier drafts. I also wish to thank the reviewers for their excellent comments.

Statement of Competing Interests and Funding Support

I am a New Zealand Law Society Health Law Committee member. The Committee made a submission on the Medicines Amendment Bill. The views expressed in this article are my own.

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Correspondence to Jennifer Moore.

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Moore, J. Proposed Changes to New Zealand’s Medicines Legislation in the Medicines Amendment Bill 2011. Bioethical Inquiry 10, 59–66 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11673-012-9413-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11673-012-9413-8

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