15 March 2016
Via email: fyi-request-3536-
[email address]
Dear Anita
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
Thank you for your request dated 11 January 2016 under the Official Information Act
1982 (OIA) for information relating to dexamfetamine. Further to the information
provided to you on 15 February 2016, this letter deals with the remainder of our
response.
You asked for all the information PHARMAC holds on the current supply management
issue for dexamfetamine, particularly the cause, management, mitigation and resolution
of this issue.
PHARMAC is releasing emails between our contract manager, the Ministry of Health and
API (suppliers of dexamphetamine), which provide details around how the
dexamphetamine stock situation was caused, managed, mitigated and resolved.
I note that some content within the material provided to you has been redacted. We
make these judgments carefully and have determined the redactions necessary to:
protect the privacy of natural persons (section 9(2)(a));
protect information where the making available of the information would be likely to
unreasonably prejudice the commercial position of the person who supplied or who is
the subject of the information (section 9(2)(b)(ii));
protect information which is subject to an obligation of confidence or which any
person has been or could be compelled to provide under the authority of any
enactment, where the making available of the information would be likely to prejudice
the supply of similar information, or information from the same source, and it is in the
public interest that such information should continue to be supplied
(section 9(2)(ba)(i));
protect information which is subject to an obligation of confidence or which any
person has been or could be compelled to provide under the authority of any
enactment, where the making available of the information would be likely otherwise
to damage the public interest (section 9(2)(ba)(ii));
enable PHARMAC to carry out, without prejudice or disadvantage, commercial
activities (section 9(2)(i)); and/or
enable PHARMAC to carry on, without prejudice or disadvantage, negotiations,
including commercial negotiations (section 9(2)(j)).
A108045
As required under the OIA, we also considered whether, in the circumstances, the
withholding of this information was outweighed by other considerations which render it
desirable, in the public interest, to make this information available. In this case we did
not consider that the public interest outweighed the reasons for withholding the
information. 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 the provision of these documents answers your queries. Please feel free to
contact PHARMAC again if you have any further queries.
Yours sincerely
Peter Alsop
Director, Engagement and Implementation
Document Outline
