'For jet lag and insomnia': Psilocybin to be prescribed, melatonin to be sold over-the-counter
The government has signalled melatonin will become available over the counter, and psilocybin - magic mushrooms - will be available for patients with treatment-resistant depression.
Psilocybin will still be an "unapproved medicine" but will be able to be granted under the authority of one specific highly experienced psychiatrist.
Melatonin is a natural hormone that helps induce sleep, and is used to treat insomnia and jet lag, but has been classified as a prescription-only medicine in New Zealand.
It will be available in pharmacies as pills up to 5mg in packs with up to 10 days' supply, or pills up to 3mg. "Modified release doses" - pills, capsules, gels and medical devices which allow the drug to be administered over a specific period - could also be available with dosages of up to 2mg.
No specific date has been set for when the changes will take effect.
Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced the decisions on Wednesday afternoon, noting they were made by MedSafe rather than politicians.
"Certainly I've discussed with some of them ... some of them were very enthusiastic about the melatonin but ultimately they respect that it's a technical decision for MedSafe."
He said melatonin would become available once manufacturers began to export it to New Zealand.
"You'll be able to go to any pharmacy and buy melatonin for jet lag and insomnia just as soon as it's available over the counter in New Zealand. Part of the purpose of my announcement today is to call on the melatonin manufacturers of the world to apply to bring their products into our country," Seymour said.
"When we did this with pseudoephedrine, it was a matter of months before products were on the shelves and I hope we can beat that record.
"Kiwis shouldn't be left counting sheep or desperate for options when other countries are already using these medicines. The government is committed to putting patients first ... this is a commonsense decision that will make melatonin more accessible in New Zealand than in many other countries."
The change for psilocybin was a huge win for people with depression who had tried everything else, Seymour said.
"If a doctor believes psilocybin can help, they should have the tools to try. The psychiatrist involved has previously prescribed psilocybin in clinical trials and will operate under strict reporting and record-keeping requirements."
He said it would initially only be available from one specific psychiatrist, but he hoped more would apply.
"Psilocybin is a medicine that can treat untreatable depression. It was first researched in the 1950s and '60s and more recently there's been extensive research and approvals by the FDA in the United States to be able to use these types of medicines.
"Fair to say it's been driven by people in the profession - there's a lot of people very passionate about this because untreatable depression's an awful thing and there are clinicians who say there's stuff happening in the rest of the world and we need to be part of it."
He had never taken either of them, nor pseudoephedrine.
"No. No I have not inhaled melatonin but maybe I will. I've had some recent issues with jet lag of my own so hopefully in the future I'll be able to," Seymour said.
"I used to go mushroom hunting with my dad as a very small kid, but I don't think we found any."
The melatonin changes were confirmed in regulations gazetted by Medsafe group manager Chris James.
The psilocybin changes were not yet gazetted, but it will mark the first time psilocybin will be legally available in New Zealand outside of clinical trials.
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