Australia and New Zealand abandon plans to form joint regulator

The Ministers for Health from Australia and New Zealand have confirmed they are to end efforts to establish a joint regulatory body.

Australia’s Peter Dutton and New Zealand’s Jonathan Coleman announced their governments would cease talks relating to the Australia New Zealand Therapeutic Products Agency, following a comprehensive review of progress and assessment of costs and benefits to both countries.

In a joint release, the ministers said that, while the work on ANZTPA would end, the two countries would “continue to cooperate on the regulation of therapeutic products where there are benefits for consumers, businesses and regulators.”