Medicines Act 1981

Dealings with medicines and medical devices - Approval of medicines required for use in special emergency

24F: Duration of approval

You could also call this:

"How long a medicine's emergency approval lasts"

You get approval for a medicine to be used in a special emergency. This approval starts on a specific day and ends on the earliest of some dates. The approval ends on the date the special emergency ends, the date specified in the approval, or 2 years after it is granted. You need to know when the special emergency ends to understand when the approval ends. The special emergency end date is decided by the responsible Minister. The approval end date is also decided by the Minister and cannot be later than the special emergency end date. If there is no special emergency end date, the approval ends 2 years after it is granted. The Minister decides the approval details under section 24D. The approval has a limited time frame to ensure the medicine is used safely.

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This page was last updated on 27 October 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM55412.

Topics:

Health and wellbeing > Public healthHealth and wellbeing > Healthcare services

24E: Notification or publication of approval, or

"Telling the public when a new medicine is approved"

24G: Consequences of expiry of approval, or

"What happens when a medicine's approval runs out"

Part 2Dealings with medicines and medical devices
Approval of medicines required for use in special emergency

24FDuration of approval

An approval of an application under section 24D takes effect on the day specified in the approval, and expires on the earlier of—
the date of expiry (if any) of the special emergency specified by the responsible Minister in—
1. the declaration declaring the special emergency; or
2. a later declaration declaring that the special emergency has ceased; or
the date of expiry (if any) specified by the responsible Minister in the approval, which must not be later than the date of expiry of the special emergency; or
if paragraph (a) or paragraph (b) does not apply, 2 years after the date on which the approval is granted.

Notes

Section 24F: inserted, on 30 October 2003, by section 5 of the Medicines Amendment Act (No 2) 2003 (2003 No 56).