Media centre

Information about which agency can best answer media enquiries and Pharmac's media policy.

Health agencies' respective roles

Te Pātaka Whaioranga - Pharmac decides which medicines, vaccines and related products will be funded by the government. We are also running a national contracting process for the medical devices used in Te Whatu Ora hospitals.

Medsafe is the regulatory body that ensures medicines in New Zealand are safe and effective. Medsafe is a business unit of Manatū Hauora (Ministry of Health).

Who to contact about what

Contact Pharmac about:

  • funding decisions for medicines, vaccines and other products
  • supply issues affecting medicines, vaccines, medical devices

Contact Medsafe about:

  • approving medicines and devices for use in New Zealand
  • safety concerns around a medicine or device
  • recalls of medicines and medical devices

Other parts of the health sector

Te Whatu Ora outlines health agencies' responsibilities and who to contact about what types of questions.

Te Whatu Ora Media Centre(external link)

Pharmac's media policy

Pharmac respects the media's role in holding government to account. We have a written policy which covers our standard approach on responding to media enquiries.

Contact details

Email: media@pharmac.govt.nz 

Phone: 021 863 342

The media phone and email are actively monitored from 9am until 5pm on working days. On weekends and public holidays they are checked regularly.