All Posts

Issue 337 - 5 March 2026 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't

A randomized trial compared oral ivermectin with 5% permethrin for treating scabies in index cases and household clusters of up to eight people 1 . Ivermectin 200 µg/kg was taken with food on days 0 and 10, while permethrin was applied head-to-toe, including hair, genitalia, and children’s faces, left on overnight, and washed off after at least eight hours. Emollients and textile decontamination were advised. Children under 15 kg received permethrin only.  Cluster-level cur

Kia ora koutou,   This is a quick reminder that our initial consultation questionnaire regarding the review of Ngā paerewa Health and disability services standard 2021  (Ngā Paerewa) will close in two weeks on 16 March 2026 .   If you have already submitted your feedback, thank you for your time and please disregard this email.   We acknowledge that this is a relatively short consultation window. We want to reassure you that this is an initial questionnaire only. Its purpose

Below is the latest information on Pharmac consultations, notifications, and supply issues for Primary Care Prescribers for week 27 February 2026. It includes information on:  New updates Resolved Supply Issues Changes to Antiretroviral Dispensing – Effective 1 March 2026 From 1 March 2026, all listed antiretroviral  (community schedule)  treatments will default to 90‑day dispensing and may be prescribed and dispensed accordingly where appropriate.  Improving access to treatm

We are writing to remind you that clomipramine capsules 10mg will be delisted (no longer funded.)   Key Points: The delist date from the Pharmaceutical Schedule is 1 April 2026 Clomipramine 25mg tablets will remain available and listed on the Pharmaceutical Schedule Please continue to consider alternative options for patients that require the lower 10mg dose     Please share this information with your colleagues and within your networks. If you have any queries, please contac

We’re consulting on upcoming changes to how the Pharmaceutical Schedule will work. Changes to how the Pharmaceutical Schedule will work  (consultation closes 13 March 2026) New medicine supply notices Pedialyte: Claiming update   Urgent action required: Pharmacies need to check any claims they made for Pedialyte in February 2026. See the website for more details. Ticagrelor (Tab 90 mg)  (Pharmacode: 2638770) The supplier anticipates running out in mid-March. A S29 alternative

Please see the AWHC Newsletter attached.

We’re seeking NPs for contract roles across the Wellington region to provide weekly rounds to Aged Residential Care (ARC) facilities, delivering high-quality care to older patients with complex needs.   You will work closely with onsite nurses and care teams to: Provide excellent clinical care to ARC residents (rest home level care and above).  Complete regular scheduled visits onsite, with key tasks including new admission assessments, acute care, regular examinations, and m

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. Sunrise T21.1 has been verified as meeting the minimum quality standard. More infor

Pharmac is seeking feedback on a proposal to widen access to nivolumab and ipilimumab for people with stage 3B to stage 4 melanoma that can be removed with surgery. If approved, funded access to these medicines would be widened from 1 May 2026. For more information on this consultation, read the full proposal to widen access to nivolumab and ipilimumab for resectable melanoma We welcome your feedback. Consultation is open until 5pm Monday 9 March 2026. Please send your feedb

Just over 3 weeks to go!  Goodfellow Symposium 2026 In the meantime, here are our latest webinars and podcasts:  Sexuality & Intimacy Workshop FACE-TO-FACE WORKSHOP in AUCKLAND 26 & 27 February: Join Allyson Waite for a 2-day workshop designed to extend your knowledge regarding sexuality and intimacy.   Register here   Whole of life protection: A focus on adult vaccination WEBINAR 3 March: Nikki Turner on the importance of adult immunisation as part of comprehensive preventi

Pharmac is seeking feedback on a proposal to widen access to nivolumab and ipilimumab for people with stage 3B to stage 4 melanoma that can be removed with surgery. If approved, funded access to these medicines would be widened from 1 May 2026. For more information on this consultation, read the full proposal to widen access to nivolumab and ipilimumab for resectable melanoma We welcome your feedback. Consultation is open until 5pm Monday 9 March 2026. Please send your feedb

We are writing to inform you that from 1 March 2026, the following treatments will be available in the community via listing in Section B of the Pharmaceutical schedule:   For Primary Response in Medical Emergencies PRIME services Droperidol inj 2.5 mg per ml (1 ml ampoule) Glucose inj 5% (100 ml bag) Glucose inj 10% (500 ml bag) Ketamine inj 100 mg per ml (2 ml vial) Methoxyflurane solution for inhalation 999 mg per g (3 ml bottle and plastic inhaler, and 3 ml bottles) Trane

Below is the latest information on Pharmac consultations, notifications, and supply issues for Primary Care Prescribers for week 20 February 2026. It includes information on:  New updates Resolved Supply Issues Improving access to treatments in the community for trauma and medical emergencies, and ketamine for palliative care From 1 March 2026, the following treatments will be available and funded on the Community Schedule: For Primary Response in Medical Emergencies PRIME se

New medicine supply notices Chloramphenicol (Devatis) Eye ointment 1% (Pharmacode: 2576902) Supplies of this product are low due to a shortage of the active ingredient. The eye drops are available as an alternative.  Dexamethasone phosphate (Medsurge) Inj 4 mg per ml, 2 ml ampoule  (Pharmacode: 2690535) The supplier has limited stock of the 2 ml ampoule. There is stock of the 1 ml ampoule. Olanzapine (Zypine ODT) 10 mg orodispersible tablets (Pharmacode: 2439840) Due to man

Breakfast with a show! On both days of the Symposium, we'll serve breakfast alongside great talks. Your only challenge will be deciding which to go to.On Saturday morning you have a choice of: Winter readiness: Respiratory management essentials, with James Wethasinghe Moving our A into G for CKM health, with Walaa Saweirs Sunday's offering: Cardiovascular risk after COPD exacerbations in NZ and the role of triple therapy, with Jeff Harrison and William Good The 6th Anniversar

Supply Issue:   We are writing to inform you that the supplier Teva has advised Pharmac that it is unable to provide teriparatide injection. Pharmac are listing an alternate product.   Key Dates: The Teva brand will be unavailable from the end of February 2026. The resupply date is not yet confirmed. An alternative - Forteo brand will be listed (funded) on the Pharmaceutical Schedule from 1 March 2026   Key messages: The Forteo brand was previously supplied to the New Zealand

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't open access, contact your H

This meta-analysis included pooled data from 51 trials involving 358,325 participants, of whom 4.4% had isolated diastolic hypertension (IDH) 1 .  Over 4.2 years, reducing systolic pressure by 5 mmHg lowered major cardiovascular events to a similar degree in people with and without IDH. Treatment effects did not vary by baseline diastolic pressure, cardiovascular history, age, prior medication, or measurement method.  The study found no evidence that BP-lowering therapy is mo

From 1 March 2026 Pharmac is funding ferric derisomaltose (Monofer) in hospitals for people who have experienced serious reactions after other iron infusions. In January, we consulted on a proposal to fund ferric derisomaltose (Monofer) in hospitals for people who have developed hypophosphataemia after an iron infusion. The feedback we have received was supportive. However, clinicians told us a small number of patients who experience serious reactions to other funded iron tr