A terminal cancer patient is relieved after the Government “listened” to concerns about making the importation of prescription drugs from overseas illegal.
Okere Falls resident Robyn Cameron, 74, has been importing a “life-extending” drug from Bangladesh for about six months — but feared she would no longer be able to do so if a proposed law change were to go through.
Prior to any amendments, the Therapeutic Products Bill would have made it illegal for people in New Zealand to import medication from overseas.
On Tuesday, the Government’s Health Committee reported back to Parliament on the Therapeutic Products Bill, with Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall saying it had “heard the public’s concerns” about the bill’s ban on personal importation of prescription medicines.
A media statement from Verrall’s office on Tuesday said the select committee would recommend changes to the bill to allow personal importation “with appropriate safeguards”.