Dear Ms Hodson

On behalf of Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman, Minister of Health, thank you for your email received 16 October 2015 requesting under the Official Information Act 1982:

"1. I request any information held about the effect of TPPA on the cost and availability of unsubsidised medicines to New Zealanders.

2.I request any information held about the effect of TPPA on the cost and availability of bio-identical hormones and Natural Dessicated Thyroid Extracts currently compounded by companies like Pharmaceuticals Compounding NZ Limited."

You can expect a reply within 20 working days from the date of your email being received in this office. Please note that a working day is defined in the Act as ‘any day of the week other than a Saturday, Sunday, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, Labour Day, the Sovereigns birthday, Waitangi Day and a day in the period commencing 25 December in any year and ending 15 January in the following year.

If a large amount of information has been requested or if further consultation is in order to make a decision, we may need to extend this date (this is provided for in section 15A of the Act). We will advise you if such an extension is necessary

Kind regards

Gina Anderson-Lister
Private Secretary - Health
Office of Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman

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Dear Ms Hodson

Thank you for your request for official information, received on 16 October 2015 for:

"1. I request any information held about the effect of TPPA on the cost and availability of unsubsidised medicines to New Zealanders.

2.I request any information held about the effect of TPPA on the cost and availability of bio-identical hormones and Natural Dessicated Thyroid Extracts currently compounded by companies like Pharmaceuticals Compounding NZ Limited."

I have now received advice that your request is very broad, and will require substantial research and collation. Therefore, we would be looking at refusing the request under section 18(f) of the Act.

In order for us to better be able to respond to the request, could you please provide a time period for your request. For example, I have been advised that a possible time period for this request would be from 1 January 2014 to 5 October 2015.

I have also been advised that, once we have received this clarification of the time period of your request, that we will need 20 working days to process this. Once I have recived your response, I can advise of the due date that we will be keeping to.

Kind regards

Gina Anderson-Lister
Private Secretary - Health
Office of Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman

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Dear Ms Hodson,

Thank you very much for that. We will proceed on that basis.

Kind regards

Gina Anderson-Lister
Private Secretary - Health
Office of Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman

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Dear Ms Hodson

Please find attached a response to your request for official information.

Kind regards

Gina Anderson-Lister
Private Secretary - Health
Office of Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman

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