Published: 5 December 2024
Publications
Celebrating 200 meetings of the Medicines Adverse Reactions Committee
Prescriber Update 45(4): 71–72
December 2024
The Medicines Adverse Reactions Committee (MARC) was established under the Medicines Act 1981 as an independent expert advisory committee to advise the Minister of Health, the Director-General of Health and Medsafe on the safety of approved medicines.
In celebration of the MARC’s 200th meeting on 5 December 2024, Medsafe looks back at the history of the Committee.
Early beginnings before the Medicines Act 1981
The thalidomide tragedy that occurred in the early 1960s was the catalyst for the formation of national schemes for collecting information about adverse drug reactions (ADRs).1 New Zealand’s national surveillance scheme began in 1965, with the formation of the Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring (CARM) at the University of Otago and the Committee on Adverse Drug Reactions (CADR).1–3
CADR initially had seven members, with two representatives from the then Department of Health, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and the Royal College of General Practitioners, and one representative from the Department of Pharmacology at University of Otago.2
From 1968, CADR’s annual reports were published in the New Zealand Medical Journal and New Zealand Dental Journal.4 Table 1 below has excerpts from several of these reports.
Following the introduction of the Medicines Act 1981, the CADR changed its name and some of its functions and became the MARC.
Table 1: Excerpts from the third, seventh and eighth annual reports of the Committee on Adverse Drug Reactions
| Third annual report (for the period April 1967 to March 1968)a |
|---|
The number of reactions to phenylbutazone and oxyphenbutazone has diminished sharply from previous years, probably due to decreased consumption. However, this has been accompanied by a precipitate increase in reactions to indomethacin. |
| Seventh annual report (for the period April 1971 to March 1972)b |
Cases of thromboembolism considered to be associated with oral contraceptives continue to be reported, including 2 fatal cases of pulmonary embolism. Antibiotics were responsible for a high proportion of total number of reactions, with ampicillin most frequently reported. |
| Eighth annual report (for the period April 1972 and March 1973)c |
Anticonvulsants were again the group with the most commonly represented amongst the congenital abnormalities reported. A rather unexpected propensity to induce allergic reactions seems to be coming to light with beta-blockers in addition to their well-known capacity to precipitate asthma in susceptible subjects. Six cases of skin rash were reported including one of photodermatitis. |
Sources:
New Zealand Committee on Adverse Drug Reactions. 1968. Third Annual
Report. New Zealand Medical Journal 67(433): 635–9.
New Zealand Committee on Adverse Drug Reactions. 1972. Seventh Annual
Report. New Zealand Medical Journal 76(486): 357–64.
New Zealand Committee on Adverse Drug Reactions. 1973. Eighth Annual
Report. New Zealand Medical Journal 78(500): 309–16.
Ending the 20th century with their 100th meeting
The MARC held their 100th meeting on 25 November 1999. At that time, there were ten members on the MARC, and all were medical practitioners with various specialties.
By the 100th meeting, the MARC’s functions were to advise on suspected ADR reports, review the scientific literature and respond to concerns from healthcare professionals.
Present day: a Committee that reflects the diverse health workforce of the 21st century
Today there are 13 members on the MARC. They are experts in various fields of clinical medicine, pharmacy, nursing, pharmacovigilance, epidemiology and biostatistics. There is also a layperson to represent consumer interests. See the Medsafe website for the Committee’s composition and membership.
The MARC’s functions include:
- providing advice on matters referred under section 36 of the Medicines Act 1981
- reviewing ADRs reported to CARM
- providing advice on medicine safety issues referred by Medsafe.
Over the years, the MARC has provided advice on many safety concerns with medicines. See the MARC meeting minutes and the reports presented to the MARC on the Medsafe website for more information.
Medsafe would like to thank all past and present members for their time and important contributions on the Committee.
References
- Kunac DL, Harrison-Woolrych M and Tatley, MV. 2008. Pharmacovigilance in New Zealand: the role of the New Zealand Pharmacovigilance Centre in facilitating safer medicines use. New Zealand Medical Journal 121(1283): 76–89. URL: nzmj.org.nz/media/pages/journal/vol-121-no-1283/ed9e6a3f2a-1696470790/vol-121-no-1283.pdf (accessed 7 November 2024).
- New Zealand Committee on Adverse Drug Reactions. 1965. Committee on Adverse Drug Reactions New Zealand Medical Journal 64(391): 163.
- Watt M. 1967. Adverse drug reactions. New Zealand Medical Journal 66(425): 857–8.
- New Zealand Committee on Adverse Drug Reactions. 1968. Third Annual Report. New Zealand Medical Journal 67(433): 635–9.
