Free cannabis product scheme capped at 30

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Most people here wanting to use Rua Bioscience's new medicinal cannabis product are likely to have to pay full price as a regional subsidy scheme has been capped at just 30 people.

Gisborne company Rua Bioscience announced in April it had started distribution in New Zealand of its first medical cannabis product.

The medicinal cannabis oil is available on prescription and GPs and specialists who are registered medical practitioners are able to include Rua's medicine in patient treatment plans.

The medicine, expected to be used by people suffering from post-traumatic stress, chronic pain and anxiety, is available free of charge.

However, there is a cap on how many people can access the scheme and it is now fully-booked.

“Rua's compassionate access programme sees our medicine made available at no cost to a group of qualifying patients who reside in Te Tairāwhiti and are receiving a health service from a Te Tairāwhiti based provider,” Rua managing director Anna Stove said. “There are a number of other criteria which can be discussed with the prescriber, the most important of which is that the patient has a genuine clinical need that could be helped with the use of our medicine, as well as real barriers that limit their ability to pay for the medicine.

“The programme is managed by prescribers. As a producer of an unapproved medicine under Section 29 of the Medicines Act, Rua must not insert itself into that process, so we're extremely grateful to them for taking on the additional responsibility of assessing patient suitability for the programme.

“At present the programme is limited to 30 patients.

“That cap has been established to ensure the programme's sustainability by carefully considering the current use of medicinal cannabis in the region as well as ensuring those who enter the programme will continue to be funded for as long as the medicine is working for them.”

Without the subsidy, the prescription-only medicine costs about $165 a bottle (30ml) with up to 24 days of medicine, varying from patient to patient.