Pharmacology and Therapeutics Advisory Committee (PTAC)

PTAC is PHARMAC’s primary clinical advisory committee established under the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000, section 50 (1). PTAC's role is to provide objective clinical advice to PHARMAC.

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About PTAC

The activities PTAC undertakes for PHARMAC are listed in the Terms of Reference for the Pharmacology and Therapeutics Committee (PTAC) and PTAC subcommittees 2016.

PTAC forms part of the whole PHARMAC process, and the particular role of PTAC is to provide objective clinical advice to assist PHARMAC in making its decisions about how to use its funds wisely.

A central part of what PTAC does is, because patients are at the centre of what PTAC talks about - we're all clinicians dealing with real patients and their families - we can bring that evidence-based perspective but also in relation to its application to real people in New Zealand.

Well, I think there's actually an emotional commitment to doing the best for New Zealanders. In terms of technical skills an ability to think critically, and have an awareness of the application of evidence, its limitations, its strengths, to the decision-making process but also to have patients at the heart of the decision making process in relation to medications.

PTAC is made up of senior health practitioners from a range of specialities, who consider clinical evidence for funding applications, and take into account PHARMAC's Factors for Consideration before making recommendations to PHARMAC.

A recommendation is not guarantee that PHARMAC will fund the medicine.

PHARMAC decides what will be funded, considering all the options for funding, to ensure we are getting the best possible health outcomes for New Zealand.

Following PTAC meetings, PHARMAC considers the funding applications using our Factors for Consideration framework, and compares and ranks them against other funding applications we have received.

Read more about PTAC's role in the funding process(external link)

Meet our advisers: What is PTAC?

What PTAC means to the committee members.

View transcript

Prof Mark Weatherall (Chair)

PTAC's role for PHARMAC is very important. It provides objective advice about the use of medicines for New Zealanders.

Dr Jane Thomas, anaesthetist, Auckland

Being able to be part of PTAC discussions and to be an advocate for children within New Zealand where there are great disparities, not just related to age but also socio-economic status, that's a privilege for me to be able to be on PTAC to represent children across New Zealand.

Prof Stephen Munn, transplant surgeon, Auckland

What I'm hopeful is, is that the work itself will contribute to the wellbeing of New Zealanders.

Dr Matthew Strother, medical oncologist, Christchurch

A lot of my interest in participating in this process is driven by that desire to see good access to medicines and having seen what poor access to medicines does to a population.

Prof Tim Stokes, GP, Dunedin

I'm sure that we all feel really strongly that by being on this committee we can make really good recommendations for care that will actually make a real difference in terms of improving the health of New Zealanders.

Dr Melissa Copland, clinical pharmacist, Queenstown

For me what's most rewarding is the way the committee works together. There's a wide range of experience, a wide range of views and often those are expressed very robustly and we have a lot of discussion. But there's a lot of mutual respect and we all are very much working towards a common goal.

Dr Giles Newton-Howes, clinical psychiatrist, Wellington

For me medicine's always been about caring for the person in front of us and caring for all of the people we don't see and I guess part of the reason I ended up doing academia is good quality research helps hopefully lots and lots of patients who you'll never see and actually that's exactly what PHARMAC does.

Dr Sean Hanna, GP, Porirua

There aren't many committees in health where the decisions that are made make a real difference and for me that's why I love being on PTAC.

PTAC members

Mark Weatherall (Chair) - Internal Medicine - Geriatric
BA, MBChB, MApplStats, FRACP
Marius Rademaker (Deputy Chair) - Dermatologist
BM (Soton), MRCP (UK), JCHMT Accreditation, DM, FRCP (Edin), FRACP
Brian Anderson – Anaesthesia & Intensive Care Medicine Specialist
MBChB, Dip Obst, FANZCA, FCICM, PhD
Rhiannon Braund – Clinical Pharmacist
PhD, BPharm, BSc (Biochemistry), FPS, FNZCP
Elizabeth Dennett - General Surgery - Colorectal
BMedSci, MBChB, GradDipMed, MMedSci, MAppMgt(Hlth), FRACS, FASCRS
Alan Fraser - Gastroenterologist
MBChB, MD, FRACP
Sean Hanna - General Practitioner
MBChB, FRNZCGP, FRACGP, PGDipGP, PGDipClinEd
Bruce King - Specialist Internal Medicine and Nephrology
MBChB, FRACP
Jennifer Martin - Clinical Pharmacologist
MBChB, MA(Oxon.), FRACP, PhD
Stephen Munn - Transplant Surgeon
MBChB, FRACS, FACS
Giles Newton-Howes - Psychiatrist
BA, BSc, MBChB, MRCPsych, PostDip BD, FRANZCP
Lisa Stamp - Internal Medicine and Rheumatology
MBChB, FRACP, PhD, PGCertStratLdrship
Tim Stokes - General Practitioner
MA, MBChB, MPH, PhD, FRCP, FRCGP, FRNZCGP
Matthew Strother - Medical Oncologist
MD (USA), FRACP
Jane Thomas - Paediatric Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine Specialist
MBChB, FANZCA, FFPMANZCA
Simon Wynn Thomas - General Practitioner
BMedSci (UK), MRCP (UK), MRCGP (UK), DFFP, FRNZCGP

PTAC members are appointed by the Director-General of Health, in consultation with the PHARMAC Board. This process is guided by an appointment protocol [PDF, 72 KB].

Interested senior health practitioners can apply directly or are nominated by professional medical bodies, such as the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners and the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. Vacancies are posted on the PHARMAC careers page(external link).

Application information

PHARMAC’s Operating Policies and Procedures set out the procedures for making amendments to the Pharmaceutical Schedule, including PTAC’s role in the process.

Read more about how to make a funding application

When applying please ensure that the application is complete. Once the application is reviewed, PHARMAC will advise you if we need more information or if the application is not in scope for PHARMAC’s assessment.

If you are seeking funding for a specific patient, you will need to submit a Named Patient Pharmaceutical Assessment (NPPA) application.

Read more about the NPPA process

Deadlines for PTAC meetings

If PHARMAC chooses to seek PTAC advice on a funding application, the application must have been received by the following dates to be available for consideration at one of PTAC’s four annual meetings.

Deadline for an application to be received by PHARMAC, to be considered by PTAC:	PTAC’s meeting date:
9 November 2020	*18 & 19 February 2021*
22 February 2021	20 & 21 May 2021
24 May 2021	19 & 20 August 2021
16 August 2021	11 & 12 November 2021

PHARMAC will assess the initial funding application and notify the applicant whether:

it will be considered by PTAC
it will beconsidered by a PTAC subcommittee, or
further information is required before an assessment can be made.

November 2020 PTAC meeting

Applications being reviewed this PTAC meeting are:

Esketamine for rapid reduction of depressive symptoms in major depressive disorder with active suicidal intent
Atezolizumab in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast
Ocrelizumab for primary/progressive multiple sclerosis
Vedolizumab for Crohn’s Disease
Vedolizumab for Ulcerative colitis
Quinacrine for patients with systematic lupus erythromatosus