Measures urged to ensure access to cannabis medicines

WELLINGTON: The Government is being urged to consider watering down safety standards or subsidising cannabis medicines to ensure products are accessible and affordable.

The current regulatory rules mean Kiwimade medicines are unlikely to be any cheaper than expensive imported ones, the New Zealand Medical Cannabis Council says.

In the wake of the referendum result against legalising recreational cannabis, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said medicinal cannabis regulations will be looked at to ensure products are not too expensive.

Council chairman Manu Caddie welcomed Ms Ardern’s comments and said the industry supported safety standards.

But it was about finding a suitable level of quality assurance while not making medicines unaffordable.

The only available medicines so far, such as Sativex, can cost $1000 for a month’s supply.

The regulations for medicinal cannabis have only been in place since April, and require products to comply with good manufacturing practice (GMP) under the Medicines Act.

‘‘An alternative is requiring any cannabinoid ingredients to meet GMP rather than the whole manufacturing process,’’ Mr Caddie said.

‘‘Australia uses this approach and it is driving costs down, so that could be worth looking at if the Government wants to reduce product costs.’’

It would mean, for example, that New Zealand companies could use broadacre outdoor cultivation or import cannabis extract, and then use GMP processes to turn it into medicines.

Another option was to have a state subsidy for cannabis medicines, Mr Caddie said, though he acknowledged it would be controversial.

‘‘Places like Germany have the vast majority of cannabis prescriptions fully subsidised by statutory health insurers.’’

New Zealand had the ACC, Work and Income or Pharmac to subsidise costs, but Pharmac usually only considered registered medicines, which required substantial clinical evidence.

‘‘The reality is that without subsidies, prescription cannabis products are going to remain too expensive,’’ Mr Caddie said.

Health Minister Andrew Little, who is yet to be briefed on medicinal cannabis, said the council’s suggestions would be looked into if medicines turned out to be too expensive. — The New Zealand Herald