New Zealand has reclassified glyceryl trinitrate from a pharmacy to a pharmacist-only medicine when used rectally.

The New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority ( Medsafe) has warned doctors about writing prescriptions to enable the release of medicines held at the New Zealand border, which have been ordered by patients. The internet has become a popular route for patients to obtain prescription medicines, which can come from unregulated markets.

New Zealand's electronic adverse drug reaction (ADR) tool, one of first in the world to deliver e-ADR reports directly from doctors, has been widely accepted since its launch in May.

Germany’s insistence on finding a consensus on embryonic stem cell research and its ban on the use of home-grown cell lines are hampering its ability to keep pace with other high- technology countries in this field. The stakes have been raised even higher of late, as US President Barack Obama has reversed the policy of the Bush era, and lifted the ban on stem cell research funding. But the barriers to success for German researchers in this area are simultaneously legal, ethical and religious in nature.