Huge benefits available from medical conferences

Outdated regulations stopping trained medical professionals from learning about new medicines through trade show advertising are out of step with other countries and disadvantage New Zealanders, Regulation Minister David Seymour, Health Minister Simeon Brown and Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston say.

“New Zealand’s prohibition on advertising medicines yet to be consented by Medsafe is a barrier to New Zealand’s ability to host medical conferences and trade shows. The opportunity cost of New Zealand missing out on these is huge,” Mr Seymour says.

These laws will be reformed so medicines yet to be consented by Medsafe can be advertised at medical conferences in New Zealand, instead of New Zealand health professionals needing to travel overseas.

“Prohibition was introduced in response to the perceived risk that pharmaceutical companies may attempt to circumvent formal medicine approval processes. The Ministry for Regulation has investigated and found this overly cautious approach is out of step with other recognised jurisdictions and is not proportionate to the perceived risk,” Mr Seymour says.

“Other nations like Australia, Canada, and the European Union allow advertising to generate revenue and provide medical professionals with information on cutting edge medicines. New Zealand doesn’t need to be left behind because of outdated red tape.

“This change is estimated to generate $90 million in associated revenue over the next few years.

"Prohibition also contradicts this Government’s efforts to increase medicines access. Allowing these products to be advertised would upskill doctors and give them the knowledge and skills to prescribe these treatments safely to Kiwis who need them.”

“This Government is committed to removing regulatory barriers so that we can drive economic growth. Removing the red tape around medical conferences will make New Zealand a better destination for conference organisers, while also making it easier for our own healthcare professionals to keep up with the latest innovations in health products and medicines,” Mr Brown says.

“New Zealand’s current health regulations can be overly bureaucratic, and this is slowing down access to care, increasing costs, and making it harder for patients to get the services they need.

“Our regulations can also make it harder to attract, train and retain healthcare workers. Workers want to work with top class treatments and patients want to be able to access them.

“Medical conferences are a great way to expand the collective knowledge and skill of the health workforce through the transfer of ideas and technologies.

“The Government is investing more than ever into our health system – a record $30 billion each year – and we expect it to deliver more for patients as a result.”

“Removing these barriers will also give us an opportunity to showcase our new conference facilities, fantastic hotels, and experiences, and pitch New Zealand as a world class location for business events like medical conferences,” Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston says.

“Business event participants spend an average of $175 more per day than other visitors, and often travel during the off-peak season, boosting tourism and economic activity year-round.

"Our message is clear, New Zealand is open for business. We are looking forward to welcoming more medical conferences to New Zealand, and we have great facilities to host them.”