Latest news with #Melatonin
NZ Herald
a day ago
- Health
- NZ Herald
Why US$42b DataDog is going all in on AI
Melatonin to be available over the counter at NZ pharmacies Associate Health Minister David Seymour announcing Melatonin will be available at pharmacies. Video / Mark Mitchell
NZ Herald
a day ago
- Health
- NZ Herald
Matariki 2025 art trail map
Melatonin to be available over the counter at NZ pharmacies Associate Health Minister David Seymour announcing Melatonin will be available at pharmacies. Video / Mark Mitchell
1News
3 days ago
- Business
- 1News
Five Big Things That Happened Today: Wednesday, June 18
Supermarket on fire in Auckland, Trump departs G7 early due to Middle East conflict, butter and milk drive the annual food price increase. 1 Medsafe approves sale of melatonin and prescribing magic mushrooms Relief is on the way for Kiwis struggling with insomnia and treatment-resistant depression, with Medsafe approving the sale of over-the-counter melatonin and the prescription of medicinal psilocybin. Melatonin – used to treat insomnia and jet lag – would be available for purchase in pharmacies without a prescription in due course. Read More ADVERTISEMENT 2 Five-yearly census to be scrapped New Zealand will scrap the traditional nationwide five-yearly census from 2030 in lieu of a system that uses existing government data, smaller annual surveys, and targeted data collection. Monthly inflation reporting would also begin from 2027 to provide more frequent and up-to-date economic data, Statistics Minister Shane Reti announced today. Read More 3 Hamilton mayor says Chiefs fans will 'bring the volume' despite cowbells ban Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate said Chiefs fans are 'disappointed' at the news cowbells would be banned at the Super Rugby final between the Crusaders and Chiefs this Saturday, but it wouldn't stop them making a din. Yesterday, it was announced cowbells would be banned from the final. Cowbells are synonymous with Waikato rugby, which fans of the region have long used to show support. ADVERTISEMENT Read More 4 'Confronting scene' inside burnt New World Foodstuffs says it will take time to determine when a fire-ravaged Auckland CBD supermarket may reopen, as they grapple with the "confronting scene" inside. Fire crews completed thermal imaging of New World Victoria Park this morning, confirming no remaining hot spots before handing the building back to the owners. Read More 5 Greazy Dogs MC gang drug bust: Police seize $1.5m in assets A "significant blow" has been dealt to drug supply and manufacture by the Greazy Dogs MC this week, police say. ADVERTISEMENT Police arrested several members and associates of the gang, and restrained more than $1.5 million in assets. Read More Watch: Tennis star reveals impact of horrific social media abuse British number two Katie Boulter had just lost a tie-break at the French Open when the death threats started. The International Tennis Federation reports 458 tennis players received thousands of abusive public messages last year. Watch Here ONE EXERCISE TRICK A UK study found exercisers using smartwatches were 10 times more likely to start a programme and seven times more likely to stick with it. Read More
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
'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.
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Melatonin to be sold over the counter; psilocybin to be prescribed
Associate Health Minister David Seymour. File photo 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 a 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. No specific date has been set for when the changes will take effect. Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced the decisions on Wednesday afternoon. "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," he said. "In time, adults will be able to buy melatonin directly from a pharmacy with no prescription needed. This is a commonsense decision that will make melatonin more accessible in New Zealand than in many other countries and encourage suppliers bring more products to our shelves." He said the change for psilocybin was a huge win for people with depression who had tried everything else. "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."
