Requiring Medsafe approval for pharmaceuticals already approved by at least two trustworthy overseas regulators makes little sense.

Foreign pharmaceutical approval agencies are well-resourced. They also tend to be cautious about approving drugs.

Under the New Zealand Initiative’s proposed Rule of Two, drugs would automatically be approved in New Zealand if they had been approved by at least two trustworthy overseas approval agencies, unless Medsafe had extraordinary concerns about a particular medicine. But drugs so-approved would be reviewed if withdrawn from foreign markets.