Progress towards getting new medicines into vet clinics welcomed

MEDIA RELEASE
Published on 28 May 2025.

The New Zealand Veterinary Association Te Pae Kīrehe (NZVA) welcomes the target set by Ministers for reducing the queue for approving new animal medicines.

However NZVA Chief Executive Kevin Bryant says it will take more than a target to get products into vet clinics.

The Government has announced targets and proposed new legislation in response to the Animal and Horticultural Products Regulatory review.

Mr Bryant says having animal medicines and other products approved under the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines (ACVM) Act is an important safeguard for our biosecurity, animal welfare and food safety.

“However in recent years approval has been slow, taking months to years, rather than the target of 40 working days.

“We want to see the Government prioritise resourcing for ACVM, so that the Ministry for Primary Industries has the people, systems and funding to do this important job both well and in a timely manner.

“New Zealand is currently missing out on some products because of the complexity and costs of registering and maintaining registration of animal medicines and vaccines. The omnibus bill provides an opportunity to address some of these issues.

“We want to see legislative changes that make it easier for products approved in other English-speaking OECD countries to become available here. We hope the bill will deliver greater acceptance of international registration and a system of co-registration to bring more medicines to the NZ market.

“We welcome the establishment of a sector reference group, which NZVA is a member of, and look forward to working with the regulators to make a real difference.”

“The sooner the  Government pushes these changes through, the better. For vets, success will be when new products such as medicines and vaccines  are approved and in their hands.”

ENDS

For further information contact media@vets.org.nz