Hydroxychloroquine for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19

16 July 2020

 

Dear [name and contact details withheld]

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Thank you for your request dated 18 June 2020, under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA), for information relating to hydroxychloroquine.  You asked for:

  • A copy of all reports, memos, meeting notes, or briefings, sent or received by officials since 1 January 2020, relating to the use of hydroxychloroquine in the treatment or prevention of COVID-19.
  • Any reports, memos, meeting notes or briefings that relate to a potential or forecasted ‘out of stock event’ of hydroxychloroquine in March 2020.

Relevant sections of briefings and reports to the Minister, from 1 January 2020, which mention the use of hydroxychloroquine in the treatment or prevention of COVID-19 are enclosed. Names and contact details have been redacted under section 9(2)(a), to protect the privacy of natural persons, and information that is not relevant to your request has also been redacted. 

You have the right, by redress to the Ombudsman, to seek a review of our decision with respect of redactions under section 9(2)(a). 

No information is held by PHARMAC in relation to an ‘out of stock’ event for hydroxychloroquine. PHARMAC restricted access to funded hydroxychloroquine on 24 March 2020 to mitigate the risk of such an event occurring.

We trust that this information answers your queries.  We are making our information more freely available, so we will now publish selected OIA responses (excluding personal details) on our website.  Please get in touch with us if you have any questions about this.

Yours sincerely


Rachel Read
Manager, Policy and Government Services

Download the documents released in this OIA response