NZVA backs efforts to accelerate veterinary medicine approval in New Zealand

NZVA chief executive Kevin Bryant says the Government’s push to improve access to these medicines is important, adding that his organisation will be doing everything it can to support it.

His comments follow the release of the Agricultural and Horticultural Products Regulatory Review by the Ministry for Regulation.

The review states that overall the regulatory systems are effective in managing risks, but the approval path does not always enable efficient and timely access to new products and new uses of products.

It also found that current processes can be time consuming and uncertain. It states that there are efficiency concerns relevant to the approval path where international regulators’ information is not used to the fullest extent and so-called ‘light touch’ pathways have not been fully used to ensure the proportionality of regulation.

The review included 16 recommendations to improve efficiency and transparency, reduce application queues, and accelerate assessments.

Cabinet has accepted all 16 recommendations.

Bryant says that increasing access to a wider range of veterinary products is essential for improving patient outcomes and animal welfare.

He says NZVA looks forward to seeing the results.

“While doing this work, it will be critical that any improvements maintain the balance between timely access to medicines and the evaluation required to protect animal health, public health, and the environment,” Bryant says.

Meanwhile, Animal and Plant Health New Zealand (APHANZ) has welcomed the review’s report, which was released at the end of last month.

APHANZ chief executive Dr Liz Shackleton says the primary sector needs products out of the approval queue and into the hands of growers.

“If the regulatory agencies can deliver on the direction of set by ministers, then this will help the primary sector economy to grow,” Shackleton says.

She says the real test will be how quickly regulators are able to “turn the ship around” and implement the report’s recommendations.

“We remain committed to working with regulators to make rapid progress in the direction set out, and welcome the commitment to including the sector in monitoring progress through the new Sector Leaders Forum,” Shackleton says.

“The next few months will help answer the question some of our members are asking, about whether the same agencies who have overseen the growth of the backlog are able to fix it,” she concludes.