New medicines formulary launched

A new national drug formulary has been launched to act as a "one-stop-shop covering clinical information as well as classification and subsidy status" on medicines.

The New Zealand Medicines Formulary (NZMF) has been created as the first reference point for medical professionals when prescribing, dispensing or administering medicines.

The formulary will also provide evidence-based information and best practice guidance on dispensing medicines across all service areas. The government says it hopes this will result in “better and more consistent decision-making about how medicines are used to benefit patients”.

The NZMF will be available online and subjected to regular reviews. There are also plans to integrate the formulary with other applications such as prescribing and dispensing software.

It builds on the New Zealand Universal List of Medicines, which was launched in 2010, by including more clinical information and allowing doctors to use it as an electronic clinical decision support tool. The formulary is expected to be rolled out across the sector within 12 months.