Published: 5 March 2026

Publications

Medicines Amendment Act 2025: Information for prescribers

Published: 5 March 2026
Prescriber Update 47(1): 13–14
March 2026

The Medicines Amendment Act 2025 came into force on 19 November 2025. It amends the Medicines Act 1981 to improve access to medicines, change pharmacy ownership restrictions and update the Medicines Classification Committee membership.

Verification

The Medicines Amendment Act introduced a verification pathway so that medicines can be approved in New Zealand if two recognised overseas regulatory authorities have already approved the same product. For more information, refer to Medicines Amendment Act: Verification pathway on the Ministry of Health website. Further legislative changes to the Medicines Regulations 1984 and introduction of rules are underway to enable the pathway.

Wider prescribing of unapproved medicines

Previously under Section 29 of the Medicines Act, only medical practitioners were permitted to prescribe unapproved medicines.

The Medicines Amendment Act means:

• nurse practitioners and pharmacist prescribers can prescribe unapproved medicines (including cannabidiol [CBD]) for the treatment of a named patient under their care (section 29).
• any authorised prescriber can prescribe an unapproved medicine when it is funded by Pharmac as an alternative to an approved funded medicine that is in short supply, for the treatment of a named patient in their care (section 29A).

For more information, refer to:

• Use of unapproved medicines and use of approved medicines for an unapproved purpose
• Supplying unapproved medicines

Advertising at medical conferences

Section 20(2)(c) of the Medicines Act prevents advertising of unapproved medicines. The Medicines Amendment Act modifies the Medicines Act to provide an exemption for advertising unapproved medicines at medical conferences (section 34AA.)

A medical conference is any conference, including an associated trade show, where the intended audience are health practitioners regulated under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003.

The organiser of a medical conference must notify the Director-General of Health at least 30 working days before the opening of the conference.

For more information, including the notification form, refer to:

• Exemption for advertising unapproved medicines at medical conferences

Prescribers holding an interest in a pharmacy

Section 42C of the Medicines Act prevented authorised prescribers and delegated prescribers from holding an interest in pharmacies unless approved by Medsafe. Section 14 of the Medicines Amendment Act has repealed this section.

While a small number of pharmacies (such as hospital pharmacies) operate under different ownership provisions, most pharmacies must still be majority owned by pharmacist(s) that are able to exert effective control (sections 55D and 55E of the Medicines Act).

For guidance on the Effective Control Principles for pharmacy ownership, refer to:

• Effective Control Principles

Medicines Classification Committee

Previously, the Medicines Act specified that the Medicines Classification Committee must consist of 2 persons nominated by the NZ Medical Association, 2 persons nominated by the Pharmaceutical Society of NZ and 2 officers from the Ministry of Health.

The Medicines Amendment Act modifies section 9 of the Medicines Act to allow wider representation on the Committee:

• the Minister must appoint at least 7 members to the Committee, but the composition is not specified
• the Minister must be satisfied that the person is be suitably qualified to be a member.

GPs and pharmacists will continue to be the core expertise on the Committee, but the changes enable consumers and nurses (for example) to contribute.