AI chatbots aid processes at NZ's Pharmac, Medsafe – Healthcare IT News
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Government entities overseeing medication access in New Zealand have been planning their adoption of AI assistants and tools to speed up processes and support decision-making.
The New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority (Medsafe) and Pharmaceutical Management Agency (Pharmac) have been involved in the Ministry of Health’s pilot of Microsoft Copilot, a smart, conversational AI-powered chatbot.
Besides that, Medsafe is exploring the use of other AI tools “with the ability to manage larger datasets and meet our commercial and patient-sensitive confidentiality requirements.”
Medsafe group manager Chris James shared more potential uses of AI within medicine regulation in a letter to the Associate Health Minister, David Seymour, who recently wrote to them encouraging their adoption of AI:
Meanwhile, Pharmac board chair Paula Bennett reported to Seymour that their staff has started using AI tools to assist with “processing complex information, analysing large volumes of data, and improving the clarity and accessibility of technical content.”
“These applications are already helping us work more quickly and effectively and will also have a role in supporting greater transparency in our decision-making,” she told the associate Health Minister in a separate letter. Pharmac decides on the medicines and pharmaceutical products to publicly fund.
“I believe that technology absorption greatly increases productivity and [I] see Al playing a role in a more efficient Pharmac and Medsafe. Finding efficiencies in medicine assessment processes means patients can access the treatments they need faster,” Associate Health Minister Seymour noted in a media release.
THE LARGER CONTEXT
The push for greater AI adoption of Pharmac and Medsafe is part of the broader digital transformation of the New Zealand health system.
In Budget 2025, the New Zealand government earmarked NZ$7 million ($4.1 million) for improving Pharmac’s data and digital infrastructure.
Medsafe has also been enhancing the way it monitors medicine safety. For example, in 2023, it worked with the Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring to develop a new digital system for collecting and storing adverse drug reaction reports, replacing its 60-year-old database.
Meanwhile, in March, Medsafe approved the first electronic controlled drug register in the country, which is expected to increase pharmacy efficiencies.
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