24 January 2020
Ms Belinda Hodson
Via Email:
[FYI request #12045 email]
Dear Belinda
YOUR REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: HYPOTHYROID MEDICATIONS
Thank you for your email of 17 January 2020 in which you asked for:
‘…copies of Pharmaceutical Therapeutic Advisory Committee (PTAC) and PTAC
endocrine subcommittee minutes that recommend the approval of the currently funded
hypothyroid medications’.
Levothyroxine is indicated for hypothyroidism. PHARMAC funds several brands of this
medication, including 25mcg, 50mcg and 100mcg Synthroid, 50mcg and 100mcg Mercury
Pharma, and 50mcg and 100mcg Eltroxin.
Levothyroxine was discussed at the Endocrinology Subcommittee meeting held on 29 May
2012. The minutes are available at the following
url: www.pharmac.govt.nz/assets/ptac-
endocrinology-subcommittee-minutes-2012-05-29.pdf
Your request for this information was considered pursuant to the Official Information Act
1982 (the Act). Some information was redacted from the minutes under sections 9(2)(i) and
9(2)(j), to:
enable PHARMAC to carry out, without prejudice or disadvantage, commercial activities
(section 9(2)(i));
enable PHARMAC to carry on, without prejudice or disadvantage, negotiations, including
commercial negotiations (section 9(2)(j)); and
Under the Act, we are also required to consider if the withholding of this information was
outweighed by other considerations which render it desirable, in the public interest, to make
this information available. In this case we did not consider that the public interest
outweighed the reasons for withholding the information.
Please note you have the right, by way of complaint to an Ombudsman, to seek an
investigation and review of our decision
under section 28(3) of
the Act.
We trust that this information answers your query.
Yours sincerely
Rachel Read
Manager, Policy
OIA 2019-20-106, A556871
Document Outline
