Empowering AI Use To Improve Access To Medicines
Associate Minister of Health
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has empowered Pharmac and Medsafe to explore the utilisation of artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up their processes.
'Faster access to medicines has always been a priority of mine. For many New Zealanders, pharmaceuticals are life or death, or the difference between a life of pain and suffering or living freely,' Mr Seymour says.
'I believe that technology absorption greatly increases productivity and see Al playing a role in a more efficient Pharmac and Medsafe.
'Finding efficiencies in medicine assessment processes means patients can access the treatments they need faster.
'I wrote to Medsafe about the adoption of AI in their processes to speed up assessments. I wanted to see if the use of AI could mean spending less time on tedious, repetitive tasks that often slow down the assessment process.
'I am very encouraged by Medsafe's response (attached). This is something that they have welcomed and recognise could reduce assessment times.
Some of the potential uses of AI in future within medicine regulation include:
· streamlining our assessment report generation allowing Medsafe to more quickly provide information in the public domain;
· assisting with side effect profiles and trend assessments;
· assisting with large information dossier assessments as part of the analysis required for decision making on new medicine applications.
'I have also offered my support to Pharmac in empowering it to use Al in its work. I see this being a matter of priority in Pharmac's new data and digital strategy. I have requested information on where some of the potential future uses of Al in Pharmac,' Mr Seymour says.
'Pharmac have responded and will be exploring opportunities for AI to increase medicines access. I look forward to continuing this discussion with them.
'We're committed to ensuring that the regulatory system for pharmaceuticals is not unreasonably holding back access. It will lead to more Kiwis being able to access the medicines they need to live a fulfilling life.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
2 hours ago
- Scoop
Greater Certainty For New Zealanders With Cancer
New Zealanders with cancer will have greater continuity of care from today, following Pharmac's decision on amending pharmaceutical schedule rules to allow access to new publicly funded cancer medicines in private hospitals and clinics. From 1 July 2025, when Pharmac funds a new cancer medicine or widens access to existing funded cancer medicines, eligible patients will be able to receive their medicine within private hospitals or clinics for a period of up to 12 months, without having to move their care to a public hospital. 'This decision will provide greater continuity of care for New Zealanders with cancer,' says Pharmac's Director Strategy, Policy and Performance, Michael Johnson. In the past, patients whose cancer medicines became publicly funded during their treatment found themselves having to transfer their treatment to a public hospital to access publicly funded medicines or else continue their private treatment and self-fund the costs. 'This change will allow these patients to benefit from newly funded cancer medicines, while maintaining their current treatment plans,' Johnson says. To be eligible, patients must already be receiving treatment at the date that their cancer medicine becomes funded by Pharmac, or have an approved treatment plan, and are about to start treatment at the date that their medicine becomes funded. This policy applies only to newly funded cancer medicines after 1 July 2025. To support the Government's decision to enable transitional access to publicly funded medicines in private settings, Pharmac consulted on rule changes to the pharmaceutical schedule between 26 May – 13 June 2025. 'While most people were supportive, we have listened to feedback and have decided to change the way we plan to implement this decision,' Johnson says. Pharmac initially proposed that private facilities would be able to obtain the funded medicine from public hospitals, as private hospitals are not currently able to make subsidy claims for cancer medicines. 'However, people told us this approach wouldn't work and would likely lead to patient safety risks due to double handling of medicines, process differences between public and private, and incompatibility of administration kits,' Johnson says. 'People told us they would prefer for private facilities to directly order cancer medicines and submit subsidy claims to Pharmac. We've listened to this feedback and have decided to change the way we plan to implement this decision,' Johnson says. Initially, Pharmac will work with private facilities to implement a direct payment arrangement for the cancer medicines that fall under this policy. Pharmac will in the future look to work with private facilities, Health NZ and suppliers to
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Government urges Pharmac, Medsafe to embrace artificial intelligence
David Seymour said he saw AI playing a role in a more efficient Pharmac and Medsafe. Photo: 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." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
4 hours ago
- Scoop
First Ever National List Of Medical Devices Now Live
New Zealand's first ever nationwide list of medical devices, effective from today, will support better patient care and enable long term investments in medical devices, Pharmac's Director Medical Devices Catherine Epps says. Pharmac has been building a list of all medical devices currently used in public hospitals as it works to improve the way medical devices are managed in New Zealand. Medical Devices help people get the best health care possible. They are things like bandages, gloves, hospital beds, pacemakers, hip implants, and even advanced equipment like MRI and X-ray machines. 'Medical Devices are so important to the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders. Nearly everyone who receives health care in New Zealand will interact with a medical device,' says Epps. Pharmac's Comprehensive List of Medical Devices, effective from 1 July, brings greater transparency to what's used and funded in public hospitals. This will support consistent access, reduce duplication, and improve equity across the country. This list represents medical devices covered by Pharmac's contracts with suppliers, and medical devices used by hospitals that aren't covered by Pharmac contracts. 'For the first time in New Zealand's history, we have a nationwide list of medical devices used by public hospitals,' Epps says. Epps says having a comprehensive list of medical devices will support better patient care. 'When hospitals have the right medical devices at the right time they can deliver better health care, which can result in shorter stays in hospital and better health outcomes for patients,' Epps says. This list will also support hospitals to better plan and invest to meet the needs of the communities they serve. It will also improve transparency by showing what devices are used or funded in public hospitals. 'Having a complete list of what is used will allow the health system to make more strategic, long-term investments in medical devices.' Pharmac consulted on the comprehensive list from 11 February, until 31 March 2025. 'We asked suppliers and public hospitals to help us finalise a national list of medical devices currently used by Health New Zealand hospitals,' Epps says. Pharmac staff carefully reviewed all feedback received during the consultation process. As a result of this consultation process, over 26,000 medical devices used in public hospitals have been added to the comprehensive list. 'This represents a historic milestone for the management of medical devices in New Zealand,' Epps says. 'Ultimately, this comprehensive list lays the foundation for a single national list from which public hospitals will select their medical devices, ensuring the best possible health outcomes for New Zealanders.'
