Blood monitoring requirements for patients taking the psychiatric medicine clozapine will change from March 2027, helping reduce disruptions for patients while maintaining important safeguards.
Under the new system, monthly blood monitoring will no longer be mandatory for some stable patients who have been on continuous treatment for at least two years.
Medsafe Group Manager, Chris James says the change follows consultation with healthcare professionals, patients and their families, and will help make life easier for people taking these medicines.
'These changes will reduce the amount of time patients have to spend getting blood tests while ensuring any potential risks are carefully managed. Patients will continue being closely monitored by their health professionals, including for other side effects such as constipation and heart problems.'
The criteria for interrupting clozapine treatment has also been updated to reduce the number of unnecessary treatment interruptions.
'This change is consistent with international requirements and is in response to feedback that patients were having to inappropriately stop a very effective and useful treatment because the thresholds were too conservative,' Chris James says.
These changes will bring New Zealand in line with latest scientific evidence, and follow a similar approach made by the European Medicines Agency.
'There will continue to be important safeguards to protect patient safety. Patients will need to meet strict eligibility criteria before they stop going for regular blood tests, and clinicians will make decisions with patients about their individual monitoring requirements,' Chris James says.
The changes also clarify prescribing requirements for clozapine under the Medicines Act 1981. Under the Act, clozapine prescriptions will need to be initiated by a psychiatrist or doctor working with a psychiatrist or in a community mental health team. Patients have the option to receive their ongoing clozapine treatment from a general practitioner, nurse practitioner or pharmacist prescriber if this is within the healthcare professional's scope of practice.
