Open letter to Annette King, Minister of Health, New Zealand

Editor—Herxheimer is misleading in claiming that Medsafe, the New Zealand medicines regulator, is intending to stop funding the intensive medicines monitoring programme.¹ In the past year, the ministry has provided additional funding to the New Zealand pharmacovigilance centre to intensively monitor the rollout of the meningococcal vaccine, which has been developed to deal with the meningococcal epidemic in New Zealand, using an innovative new approach distinct from the programme's methods. Medsafe, the University of Otago (where the intensive medicines monitoring programme is based), and our Medicines Adverse Reactions Committee are working together to determine the types of pharmacovigilance services that Medsafe should purchase for New Zealand. The future direction of the intensive medicines monitoring programme is part of this discussion.

New Zealand is committed to strengthening its pharmacovigilance services. In order to grow and develop, all programmes must be responsive to their environment. Since the intensive medicines monitoring programme was established in 1977, medical care and the practice of pharmacovigilance have changed dramatically. A 2003 review of the programme, conducted by its new director, identified that the programme needs to change to make it more effective, focused, and resource efficient.² It is hardly surprising that this review recommended change—the programme's process is extremely labour intensive as it relies heavily on paper based collection of data.

New Zealand has a proved history of innovation in the area of medicines regulation and pharmacovigilance. This was not achieved by failing to adapt to a changed environment. A final recommendation on the direction of pharmacovigilance in New Zealand is expected before Christmas.