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Issue 331 - 16 October 2025 Welcome to the fortnightly Health Improvement and Innovation Digest. The Digest has links to key evidence of interest, with access to new content arranged by topic. You can forward this newsletter to others who may be interested in receiving it. They can register and subscribe here . You can also access other recent issues of the digest here. If you have any queries, please email us at  library@health.govt.nz . Article Access For articles that aren't open access,...

Pharmac has confirmed changes to Special Authority renewal requirements for selected medicines and products. From 1 December 2025, Pharmac will remove the need to renew Special Authority approvals for the following treatments: Insulin pump consumables for type 1 diabetes Continuous glucose monitors (interoperable and standalone) for type 1 diabetes Long-acting Muscarinic Antagonists with Long-acting Beta-Adrenoceptor Agonists (LAMA/LABA inhalers) for respiratory conditions Epoetin alfa for...

Welcome to the latest update from the Ministry of Health | Manatū Hauora on the regulation of medicines, medical devices and natural health products.   This newsletter includes updates on the following:  Important policy decisions on the Medical Products Bill   Community pharmacy ownership  Advertising   Statutory timeframes  Offences and penalties  Medical products regulator  Medical products exports  Supporting innovation under the Medical Products Bill  Natural health products  ...

Medicinal cannabis products that meet the minimum quality standard The Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Regulations 2019 (the Regulations) set the minimum quality standard that medicinal cannabis products and ingredients must meet before they can be supplied in New Zealand. Importers, manufacturers, and suppliers must apply for assessment and provide evidence to the Medicinal Cannabis Agency to verify that their products meet the minimum quality standard. Helius NZ Maya THC22 has been...

Coming up in CPD: Goodfellow Symposium 2026 21/22 March 2026: Curated specifically for Primary Care:  Check it out here . Breast health in midlife: Risk assessment & cancer detection WEBINAR 21 October: Magdalena Biggar, Carla Pajak and Sugania Reddy in this comprehensive session on midlife breast health. Register here Back to basics: Sun, sunscreen, skin cancer prevention WEBINAR 28 October: Dr Sam Mayhew, GP Specialist and Skin Cancer Doctor, on skin cancer prevention. Register here Herpes...

We are writing to inform you that Pharmac is expecting a constrained supply of oxytocin injection 10 IU per mL, 1 mL ampoule (Pharmacode:...