Venlafaxine and lamotrigine NPPA data

29 October 2019

[name and contact details redacted]

Dear [name redacted]

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Thank you for your request dated 29 September under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA).  You asked:

1. Why the NPPA decisions on the PHARMAC website have not been updated since 31 August 2017.
2. Between April 2017 and September 2019 how many people applied for a NPPA for Venlafaxine, and how many of these applications were approved?
3. For Lamotrigine - how many people have applied through the exceptional circumstances process between 1 May 2019 and 29 September 2019, and how many applications have been approved?

PHARMAC response

1. The website data hasn’t been updated because we had feedback from the sector that the way the decisions were presented was not helpful. We have suspended updating this information while we look at other ways to present it.
2. From 1 April 2017 - 30 September 2019 - PHARMAC received 55 applications for individual patients for venlafaxine. Three were approved.
3. From 1 May 2019 - 30 September 2019 - PHARMAC received 23 applications for individual patients for lamotrigine. Thirteen have been approved.

Please note that PHARMAC approaches its assessment of requests for information under the OIA on the basis that, once released, the information becomes publicly available.

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

Alison Hill
Director, Engagement and Implementation