Pharmac - Update for Primary Care Prescribers
Pharmac Update: Primary Care Prescribers | 11 September 2026
Below is the latest information on Pharmac consultations, notifications, and supply issues for Primary Care Prescribers for week 11 September 2026. It includes information on:
New updates
Supply issue: olanzapine ODT 5 mg tablet (Zypine ODT)
There is a supply issue affecting olanzapine ODT 5 mg tablets (Zypine ODT) due to an issue at the manufacturing site.
Pharmac previously listed an alternate brand APO-Olanzapine to support this supply issue. Stock of this brand is running low and is expected to run out end of September 2026, before the Zypine ODT brand is resupplied.
To ensure continuity of supply, from 10 September 2026 Pharmac has listed an alternate brand Zyprexa Zydis. Zyprexa Zydis is not a Medsafe approved brand and should be prescribed and supplied in line with Section 29A of the Medicines Act.
Further information will be added to our webpage as updates become available – Olanzapine (Zypine ODT) 5 and 10 mg orodispersible tablets: Supply issue
Supply issue: Risperidone 3 mg tablets
There is a supply issue affecting Risperidone 3 mg tablets due to manufacturing issues.
To ensure continuity of supply, from 10 September 2026, Pharmac listed (funded) an alternate brand Risperidone (Relonchem). This is not a Medsafe approved brand and should be prescribed and supplied in line with Section 29A of the Medicines Act
Note: Risperidone (Relonchem) 3 mg tablets cannot be halved. The score line is to break the tablet for ease of swallowing; not to divide the tablet into equal doses.
Funding changes: Escitalopram 10mg tablets from 1 February 2027
From 1 February 2027, Ipca-Escitalopram 10 mg and 20 mg tablets will be the only funded escitalopram listed on the Schedule. The currently listed escitalopram (Ethics) 10 mg tablets brand will be delisted (no longer funded) from this date.
Most patients will not be affected, as the majority already receive Ipca-Escitalopram. Patients currently receiving the Ethics brand will need to transition before 1 February 2027.
We recognise that a small number of people may be unable to transition to the funded Ipca-Escitalopram brand for clinical reasons, such as having previously experienced clinically significant issues with the Ipca-Escitalopram brand or have a known allergy to an excipient in that brand that would make this clinically unsuitable. In these circumstances, prescribers can apply through the Named Patient Pharmaceutical Assessment (NPPA) pathway for funded access to an alternate brand such as escitalopram (Ethics). Applications can be submitted ahead of the delisting date (1 February 2027) to ensure timely assessment and continuity of funded supply for impacted people.
NPPA is currently the appropriate pathway for requesting funded access to an alternate brand. While the NPPA guidance on our webpage may suggest that patients should have trialled all funded alternatives, Pharmac recognises that trialling alternative SSRIs or other antidepressants may not be clinically appropriate in some cases. Applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis, and prescribers should not be discouraged from applying where there is a clinical need for continued access to escitalopram (Ethics).
Further information is available on the NPPA webpage, if prescribers have questions, they can contact the NPPA team directly at nppa@pharmac.govt.nz or phone 0800 660 050 (option 2).
Tender Brand Change: cyclopentolate and tropicamide eye drops
There is a tender brand change for three Alcon ophthalmic products currently supplied in New Zealand, cyclopentolate (Cyclogyl) 1% eyedrops and tropicamide (Mydriacyl) 0.5% and 1% eye drops 1%.Alcon, the supplier, will discontinue supplying these products to the funded New Zealand market. To ensure this treatment option remains available, Pharmac will begin funding the Bausch & Lomb Minims brand of cyclopentolate and tropicamide.
1 October: Bausch & Lomb products will be listed (funded).
December 2026: Alcon will discontinue Cyclogyl and Mydriacyl .
1 March 2027: Alcon Cyclogyl and Mydriacyl products will be delisted (no longer funded).
All Bausch & Lomb Minims products are 0.5mL single use vials. These come in packs of 20 vials.
All Bausch & Lomb minims products require refrigeration between 2-8°C. Note: this is a change in storge conditions for tropicamide which previously had ambient storage conditions.
Discontinuation Reminder: Sodium valproate (Epilim) 100mg crushable tablets
The supplier Sanofi has notified Pharmac of the discontinuation of sodium valproate (Epilim brand) 100mg crushable tablets. This is a global discontinuation. Sanofi expects that stock will be available until the end of November 2026. Please transition affected patients to an alternative treatment as soon as possible. For more information see Epilim discontinuation on Pharmac website
Key dates and differences:
1 October: Bausch & Lomb products will be listed (funded).
December 2026: Alcon will discontinue Cyclogyl and Mydriacyl .
1 March 2027: Alcon Cyclogyl and Mydriacyl products will be delisted (no longer funded).
All Bausch & Lomb Minims products are 0.5mL single use vials. These come in packs of 20 vials.
All Bausch & Lomb minims products require refrigeration between 2-8°C. Note: this is a change in storge conditions for tropicamide which previously had ambient storage conditions.
Discontinuation Reminder: Sodium valproate (Epilim) 100mg crushable tablets
The supplier Sanofi has notified Pharmac of the discontinuation of sodium valproate (Epilim brand) 100mg crushable tablets. This is a global discontinuation. Sanofi expects that stock will be available until the end of November 2026. Please transition affected patients to an alternative treatment as soon as possible. For more information see Epilim discontinuation on Pharmac website
Coversyl tablets change of salt: Perindopril erbumine to Perindopril arginine
Due to global alignment and to ensure continuity of supply, Coversyl containing perindopril erbumine will be replaced with Coversyl containing perindopril arginine. This is a permanent change to the arginine salt.
The new Perindopril arginine tablets were listed (funded) from 1 September 2026
Please transition your patients currently on Coversyl 2 mg and 8 mg tablets to the equivalent perindopril arginine strengths (Coversyl 2.5 mg and 10 mg respectively) from September.
Coversyl 4 mg tablets will remain available longer. Please transition these patients to the equivalent Coversyl 5mg tablets from late October.
Pharmacist substitution between erbumine and arginine strengths is not possible due to different labelled strengths.
Perindopril erbumine and perindopril arginine salts are bioequivalent and interchangeable. The active moiety (perindopril) remains unchanged.
Because the two salts have different molecular weights, the labelled tablet strengths will change, while delivering the same amount of active perindopril.
More information, images, and a downloadable patient information leaflet can be found Coversyl on Pharmac website
Dose equivalence table
Current product (perindopril erbumine) | To | New product (perindopril arginine) |
1 tablet COVERSYL® 2 mg |
| 1 tablet COVERSYL® 2.5 mg |
1 tablet COVERSYL® 4 mg |
| 1 tablet COVERSYL® 5 mg |
1 tablet COVERSYL® 8 mg |
| 1 tablet COVERSYL® 10 mg |
Clexane syringe: NEW Clexane Safety Lock ERIS device
A new Clexane Safety Lock ERIS syringe will replace the current Clexane Safety Lock across all Clexane presentations.
The new presentations will be listed on the Pharmaceutical Schedule from 1 September 2026. Transition to the new presentations across the seven strengths is estimated to occur between 1 September 2026 and 5 February 2027.The ERIS Safety Lock is the globally preferred device for Clexane and offers an enhanced safety feature: an automatically activated safety shield upon needle withdrawal that protects the used needle, reducing needlestick injury risk.
For more information – Clexane Eris on Pharmac website
Resolved supply issues
Supply issues are marked as resolved when stock arrives in the country and is released to wholesalers. After this, it can take another 1-2 weeks for pharmacies to receive stock, depending on where they are located around New Zealand.
Levetiracetam (Everet) Tab 1,000 mg
Levodopa 100 mg with carbidopa 25 mg (Sinemet) Tab
Pamidronate disodium (Pamisol) Inj 3 mg per ml, 10 ml vial
Pazopanib (Pazopanib Teva) Tab 200 mg
Salbutamol (Ventolin) Inj 1 mg per ml, 5 ml ampoule