Government urges Pharmac, Medsafe to embrace artificial intelligence
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RNZ / Mark Papalii
The government has urged Pharmac and Medsafe to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up the approval of new medicines.
Associate Health Minister David Seymour issued a statement on Tuesday, confirming he had recently written to the agencies, and that both had replied positively.
"I believe that technology absorption greatly increases productivity and see Al playing a role in a more efficient Pharmac and Medsafe," he said.
"Finding efficiencies in medicine assessment processes means patients can access the treatments they need faster."
In response to Seymour's letter, Medsafe group manager Chris James acknowledged that AI, in future, could help streamline medicine decisions, speed up audits, and help analyse large information sets.
A small number of staff were currently taking part in a Health Ministry pilot related to Microsoft's Copilot AI tool, he said.
"We are also in the early stages of broader discussions about access to other AI tools with the ability to manage larger datasets and meet our commercial and patient sensitive confidentiality requirements," James said.
In her response, Pharmac chair Paula Bennett said she greatly appreciated the minister's support and encouragement around the potential of AI.
"I share your views that AI presents exciting opportunities to enhance productivity, improve processes, and deliver better outcomes for New Zealanders."
She said staff were already using Microsoft Copilot "enthusiastically and creatively" to improve efficiency.
"Staff have begun using AI tools to assist with tasks such as processing complex information, analysing large volumes of data, and improving the clarity and accessibility of technical content," Bennett said.
"These applications are already helping us work more quickly and effectively and will also have a role in supporting greater transparency in our decision-making."
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