Acupuncture and ACC: therapeutic regulation and funding in New Zealand

A report was recently published in the Journal which identified marketing materials (websites) which make therapeutic claims that may breach Section 58(1)(a) of the Medicines Act. Though the focus of the study was acupuncture, the report is timely with respect to issues it raises in the New Zealand therapeutics environment. This letter explores some of these issues through the lens provided by the study.

With regards to the therapeutic effectiveness of acupuncture, Ryan reports that many providers claim therapeutic efficacy without adequate evidence and that the funding of acupuncture by ACC is not evidence-based policy. Ryan presents a simple method for identifying these claims on publicly accessible websites. This is relevant to the readers of the Journal, as 50% of ACC-funded acupuncture providers are medical professionals...