Number of people approved for Multiple Sclerosis treatments

Thank you for your request dated 10 October 2022 under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) for information relating to the numbers of people approved for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) treatments. You requested: 

From 2000 to 2021, how many people were approved for disease modifying treatments each year and for which drugs? Ideally, how many new approvals each year and how many total approved each year. 

You further clarified ‘disease modifying treatments’ to be for all the MS treatments that are on the list as set out in the New Zealand Pharmaceutical Schedule (the Schedule).  The Schedule is a list of the prescription medicines and therapeutic products subsidised by the Government. 

The information you have requested is attached to this letter. 

Approval numbers of 5 or less are identified as <5 in the information being provided under section 9(2)(a) of the Act to protect the privacy of natural persons. 

Please note you have the right, by way of complaint under section 28(3) of the OIA to an Ombudsman, to seek an investigation and review of our decision.

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