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Pharmac has amended the 2025/26 Invitation to Tender with the following updates: Added:  thiamine hydrochloride inj 100 mg per ml, 1 ml Amended:   bupivacaine hydrochloride with adrenaline inj 0.25% with 1:400,000 of adrenaline, 20 ml non-sterile pack  → bupivacaine hydrochloride with adrenaline inj 0.25% with 1:400,000 of adrenaline, 20 ml bupivacaine hydrochloride with adrenaline inj 0.5% with 1:200,000 of adrenaline, 20 ml non-sterile pack  → bupivacaine hydrochloride with

Below is the latest information on Pharmac consultations, notifications, and supply issues for Primary Care Prescribers for week 28 November 2025. It includes information on:  New updates Resolved Supply Issues Pharmac funding both Estradot and Estradiol TDP Mylan brands of oestradiol patches From 1 December 2025, the funded brands of oestradiol patches will be Estradiol TDP Mylan and Estradot. Everyone who uses funded oestradiol patches will need to use either of these brand

The Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Regulations 2019 (the Regulations) set the minimum quality standard that medicinal cannabis products and ingredients must meet before they can be supplied in New Zealand. Importers, manufacturers, and suppliers must apply for assessment and provide evidence to the Medicinal Cannabis Agency to verify that their products meet the minimum quality standard. FlorX Full Spectrum CBD120 30 mL has been verified as meeting the minimum quality s

Discontinuation:   We are writing to inform you of a discontinuation: amiloride hydrochloride 5 mg with furosemide 40 mg (Frumil tabs)    Key messages: It is estimated that Frumil stock will run out by the end of February 2026 Please consider prescribing a funded, Medsafe registered, suitable alternative for affected patients. Amiloride 5mg tablets are not Medsafe approved and will need to be prescribed and dispensed in line with Section 29 of the Medicines Act.  Our webpage

Please follow this link to the  Pharmac consultation regarding improving access to treatments in the community for trauma and medical emergencies, and ketamine for palliative care. We want to make sure that everyone who needs to know about this proposal is aware of it. Please share this information with people you think might be interested. Ngā mihi Pharmac | Te Pātaka Whaioranga | P: +0800 660 050|  www.pharmac.govt.nz

Flumetasone pivalate (Locorten-Vioform) ear drops  (Pharmacode 259799) There may be some constrained supply as stock levels get low before the next shipment is released. But more stock should be available soon. FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus sensors: Recall  (Pharmacode: 2691655) There is a recall affecting some batches of the FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus sensors.  Levonorgestrel: The funded brand is changing  (Pharmacode: 2645424) The brand for the emergency contraceptive pill is changing

Kia ora,  Please follow this  link  to our website for the November 2025 Tender Notification. Ngā mihi, Stefanie Moir | Tender Analyst Te Pātaka Whaioranga | Pharmac | PO Box 10 254 | Level 9, 40 Mercer Street, Wellington | P: 0800 660 050 |  www.pharmac.govt.nz

From 1 March 2026 all HIV medicines will be able to be dispensed in three-month amounts, rather than monthly, making it easier for people to manage their treatment. In October, we consulted on three changes to the way New Zealanders access HIV medicines. Thank you to all those who provided feedback. In response to this feedback, we have delayed the proposed effective date from 1 December 2025 to 1 March 2026 to give everyone more time to adapt. We also decided not to remove

Issue 334 - 27 November 2025 Welcome to the fortnightly Health Improvement and Innovation Digest. The Digest has links to key evidence of interest, with access to new content arranged by topic. You can forward this newsletter to others who may be interested in receiving it. They can register and subscribe here . You can also access other recent issues of the digest here. If you have any queries, please email us at  library@health.govt.nz Article Access For articles that aren'

We are writing to inform you that Sanofi, the supplier of isoniazid 100mg with rifampicin 150mg ( Rifinah ) tab, has advised of a supply issue due to delays with manufacturing. The current stock has the expiry date 30 November 2025.    Key messages: An alternative brand Rifamazid  has been listed (funded) from 1 December 2025. This is an unapproved medicine and as such needs to be prescribed and dispensed in line with section 29 of the Medicines Act. It is estimated it will b

We want your feedback on a proposal to fund nitisinone for people with rare inherited metabolic disorders, including tyrosinemia type 1 and alkaptonuria. Nitisinone is currently funded through Pharmac’s Named Patient Pharmaceutical Assessment (NPPA) pathway. Under this proposal, it would be listed on the Pharmaceutical Schedule, making it easier for clinicians to prescribe and helping ensure ongoing supply in New Zealand. More information about the proposal is available here

Coming up in CPD:  Tricky question... What do Ralph Stewart, Samantha Newman, Ben Chan, Hannah Giles, Ryan Paul, Buzz Burrell (and about 60 others) all have in common? Here's the answer   Post-partum hypertension; practical management WEBINAR 2 December: Dr Jamie Kitt, dual accredited Cardiology & General Internal Medicine Consultant on how to achieve optimal blood pressure control in women puerperium.  Register here   Cannabis-based products The March Medicines Amendment Act

This link  will take you to the proposal to enter into an agreement for sterilisation and decontamination equipment and associated consumable medical devices supplied by Steris New Zealand Limited (“Steris”). Steris’ range of medical devices are proposed to be listed on the Pharmaceutical Schedule under a Pharmac agreement from 1 February 2025. A list of products included in the proposal is attached .  Pharmac welcomes feedback on this proposal.  To provide feedback, please

Below is the latest information on Pharmac consultations, notifications, and supply issues for Primary Care Prescribers for week 21 November 2025. It includes information on:  New updates Resolved Supply Issues Pharmac funding both Estradot and Estradiol TDP Mylan brands of oestradiol patches From 1 December 2025, the funded brands of oestradiol patches will be Estradiol TDP Mylan and Estradot. Everyone who uses funded oestradiol patches will need to use either of these brand

New medicine supply notices Enalapril: Your brand is changing  The funded brand of enalapril is changing from Acetec to Ipca-Enalapril. It will be listed from 1 December 2025. It is the exact same product as supplied under the Ethics brand. Details and a patient flyer available on the website. Oxycodone oral liquid (Lucis)  (Pharmacode: 2678500) Following the oxycodone tablet supply issue, there is now limited stock of the oral liquid. An alternative brand, Rosemont (Pharmaco

Smarter consults, better care: What to expect at the 2026 Symposium Need a fast and simple toolkit for mental health consults? Sophie Ball can help with that. Insomnia: a very common complaint within general practice. Alex Bartle will walk us through medication options and strategies to deliver some behavioural treatments within a short consultation. Prostate cancer care is changing fast. Discover how to lead smarter testing, engage in better conversations, and follow up more

This link  will take you to the notification of the decision to approve an agreement with Obex Medical Limited (“Obex”) for medical devices in the following categories:  •    adhesives, sealants, and haemostats •    feeding equipment and associated devices •    medical and surgical instruments and power tools  •    medical imaging, software, and associated products  •    patient assessment, monitoring, and treatment •    patient warming and cooling  •    sterilisation

Over the last few months, I have met with people across the health sector, spoken at conferences and attended stakeholder meetings. One thing that has struck me - other than the dedication of our health professionals - is that people are unclear on the role of the Ministry of Health, and what we are mandated to do. The Ministry of Health is the Government’s lead adviser on health, ensuring the health system delivers for the current and future needs of all New Zealanders. Audr

Pharmac is seeking feedback on a proposal to fund another brand of methylphenidate - Rubifen LA - to help ease ongoing supply issues and provide more treatment options for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). If approved, this brand would be funded from 1 July 2026.   Proposal to fund a new brand of methylphenidate We welcome your feedback. Consultation is open until 5 pm, Thursday 4 December 2025. Please send your feedback to consult@pharmac.govt.nz  

A 2025 BMJ review found that a range of exercises were helpful for knee osteoarthritis 1 . The findings demonstrated that exercise was effective at improving pain, function, gait performance, and quality of life in individuals with knee osteoarthritis. There is a lack of studies comparing different types of exercise. None of the exercise interventions resulted in more adverse safety events than the control group, suggesting that exercise therapy is a safe treatment approach.