Kia ora Greg,

 

Thank you for your request for official information received on 27 August
2021 for:

 

"Please provide information regarding the care and therapy offered people
who are hospitalised with Covid-19 symptoms

 

Please provide information regarding the care and therapy offered people
who are outpatients or in manged isolation with Covid-19 symptoms

 

Please provide information on what progress the Ministry has made with the
ongoing review of repurposed drugs and therapies; ivermectin,
hydroxychloroquine, zinc, Vitamin D etc. either separately or in
combination in the context of your answer to this OIA request: 
[1]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...

 

Please provide information on what advice Ministry of Health has provided
generally and or specifically to practicing medical practitioners who make
inquiries about the statutory legality of proscribing repurposed
anti-virals alone or in conjunction (multi-drug therapy as in the
treatment of HIV-AIDS
[2]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...

 

Please provide information of what planning is being done and treatment
protocols are developed or being pursued to ensure that New Zealand can
effectively treat and cure people with Covid-19 symptoms that may come
from the opening of the nation to the larger world.”

 

The Ministry's reference number for your request is: H202111201.

 

As required under the Official Information Act 1982, the Ministry will
endeavour to respond to your request no later than 24 September 2021,
being 20 working days after the day your request was received.

 

Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic response, the Ministry is experiencing
significantly higher volumes of queries and requests for information. If
we are unable to respond to your request within this time frame, we will
notify you of an extension of that time frame.

 

If you have any queries related to this request, please do not hesitate to
get in touch.

 

Ngâ mihi

 

OIA Services

Government Services

Office of the Director-General

Ministry of Health

E: [3][email address]

 

 

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References

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1. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
2. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
3. mailto:[email address]

Kia ora Greg  

 

Thank you for your request for official information on 27 August 2021 for:
 

 

              “Please provide information regarding the care and therapy
offered people who are hospitalised with Covid-19 symptoms 

 

Please provide information regarding the care and therapy offered people
who are outpatients or in manged isolation with Covid-19 symptoms 

 

Please provide information on what progress the Ministry has made with the
ongoing review of repurposed drugs and therapies; ivermectin,
hydroxychloroquine, zinc, Vitamin D etc. either separately or in
combination in the context of your answer to this OIA request:
[1]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...

 

Please provide information on what advice Ministry of Health has provided
generally and or specifically to practicing medical practitioners who make
inquiries about the statutory legality of proscribing repurposed
anti-virals alone or in conjunction (multi-drug therapy as in the
treatment of HIV-AIDS
[2]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...

 

Please provide information of what planning is being done and treatment
protocols are developed or being pursued to ensure that New Zealand can
effectively treat and cure people with Covid-19 symptoms that may come
from the opening of the nation to the larger world.” 

 

Information regarding COVID-19 treatment protocols is not held by the
Ministry of Health. This will be held by the Primary Health Organisations,
General Practitioners, or District Health Boards that provided the
treatment. PHOs and GPs are not subject to the Act, however, you may want
to contact the DHBs directly. Their contact details can be at:
[3]www.health.govt.nz/new-zealand-health-system/key-health-sector-organisations-and-people/district-health-boards/district-health-board-websites. 

 

You may also be interested in the following information available on the
Ministry website:

o [4]www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-information-health-professionals/covid-19-advice-all-health-professionals#line. 
o [5]www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/pages/interim_guidance_-_clinical_management_of_covid-19_in_adults.pdf 
o [6]www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-information-health-professionals/covid-19-primary-care 

 

For Ivermectin to be approved for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19
New Zealand legislation requires that a sponsor submits a medicine
application with appropriate safety and efficacy data to Medsafe, for
evaluation and approval before it can be supplied here. To date this has
not occurred.  Information on who can be a medicine sponsor in New
Zealand, and therefore submit an application to Medsafe, can be found in
the Guidelines on the Regulation of Therapeutic Products in New Zealand,
Part 2, Section 2, available
here: [7]https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/regulatory/c...

 

There is currently one medicine containing ivermectin approved for use in
New Zealand. The medicine is called Stromectol, and it is approved for a
number of clinical indications. However, these indications do not include
the treatment of COVID-19. More information about Stromectol including the
expected side effects of use, and the company that is registered as its
sponsor can be found in the New Zealand data sheet
here: [8]https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/Datash...
information on the regulation of medicines for the treatment of COVID-19
can be found on our website
at: [9]https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/COVID-19/med...

  

The World Health Organization recommends not to use ivermectin to treat
patients with COVID-19 outside of clinical
trials [10]https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/...
and that the Ministry has no plans to promote its use for treatment of
COVID-19. Medsafe advice on medicine repurposing to treat COVID-19
infections (including anti viral medication) is available here:
[11]http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/Medicines/pol...

 

Under section 28(3) of the Act you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to
review any decisions made under this request. The Ombudsman may be
contacted by email at: [12][email address] or by calling 0800
802 602. 

 

 

Ngâ mihi

 

OIA Services Team

 

[13]Ministry of Health information releases

[14]Unite against COVID-19

 

 

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References

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1. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
2. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
3. http://www.health.govt.nz/new-zealand-he...
4. http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/disea...
5. http://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/d...
6. http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/disea...
7. https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/regulatory/c...
8. https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/Datash...
9. https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/COVID-19/med...
10. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/...
11. http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/Medicines/pol...
12. mailto:[email address]
13. https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministr...
14. https://covid19.govt.nz/

Kia ora Greg,

 

 

Thank you for your email. Apologies that the link was not working for you.
For ease, I have attached the pdf for you. The Ministry of Health holds no
further information regarding covid treatment protocols other than what
has been provided to you on our website. 

 

As COVID-19 is a viral illness, there is no specific treatment. Most
people who develop COVID-19 will recover fully while isolating at home or
in managed isolation and quarantine and they do not require
hospitalisation. Supportive treatment with fluid, rest, and antifever
medication is useful in aiding recovery and can be successfully managed by
a general practitioner (GP). A GP is best placed to provide care for those
who are recovering from COVID-19 at home, as they are familiar with
underlying conditions that may impact recovery and can manage these
appropriately.

 

For patients who are hospitalised with serious cases of COVID-19, there is
currently one Medsafe approved medication which is dexamethasone. It is an
anti-inflammatory medication that is indicated in the treatment of
COVID-19 for patients who require supplemental oxygen therapy. You can
find the Medsafe datasheet for the approved medicine
here: [1]www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/Datasheet/d/Dexmethsonetab.pdf .

 

Medical practitioners are permitted to use any medicine for a particular
patient in their care at their discretion; however, unapproved medicines
have not been evaluated by Medsafe for safety and efficacy. If your
healthcare professional chose to prescribe other agents to treat a patient
with COVID-19 it would be their responsibility to ensure that they are
aware of any safety issues and that they communicate the risks and
benefits to their patients. See
[2]www.medsafe.govt.nz/COVID-19/medicine-approval-process.asp.   

 

The Ministry of Health is aware that therapeutics will have a role to play
in managing the pandemic for people who are not vaccinated. Medicines and
other ways to treat and manage patients who have COVID-19 are being
continually developed and researched. You can find more information on
COVID-19 treatments on the Ministry of Health website here:
[3]www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-health-advice-public/about-covid-19.

 

However, as previously advised, the Ministry of Health does not conduct
the treatment of patients, therefore cannot provide guidance regarding the
treatment protocols that is in the hospitals, general practitioners or
district health boards.

 

Under section 28(3) of the Act you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to
review any decisions made under this request. The Ombudsman may be
contacted by email at: [email address] or by calling 0800 802
602.

 

Ngā mihi 

 

OIA Services Team 

  

[4]Ministry of Health information releases 

[5]Unite against COVID-19 

 

 

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Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #16523 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[23]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...

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ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
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References

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2. http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/COVID-19/medi...
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4. https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministr...
5. https://covid19.govt.nz/
6. https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/datash...
7. https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/...
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12. http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/disea...
13. http://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/d...
14. http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/disea...
15. https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/regulatory/c...
16. https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/Datash...
17. https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/COVID-19/med...
18. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
19. http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/Medicines/pol...
20. mailto:[email
21. https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministr...
22. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
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