Pharmac Update: Primary Care Prescribers | 17 April 2026
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
Below is the latest information on Pharmac consultations, notifications, and supply issues for Primary Care Prescribers for week 17 April 2026. It includes information on:
Supply disruption: Isosorbide mononitrate 40mg (Ismo 40 Retard)Due to an increase in demand and shipping delays because of the conflict in the Middle East, stock of Ismo 40 Retard is running low.
Resupply of Isosorbide mononitrate 40 mg (Ismo 40 Retard) is expected by the end of April. If pharmacies are unable to obtain additional stock before then, affected patients may require a new prescription for an alternative treatment.
We have received clinical advice that isosorbide mononitrate 60 mg long-acting tablet, either whole or broken in two for a 30 mg dose, may be an appropriate alternative. The 60 mg Duride tablet is scored and dividable.
Half-tablet doses (30mg) can be taken without affecting the modified release properties of Duride, as long as they are not crushed or chewed - Duride datasheet (PDF).
Further information will be added to our webpage as updates become available –Isosorbide mononitrate (Ismo 40 Retard) 40 mg: Supply issue.
Supply issue: progesterone (Utrogestan) 100 mg capsules
Pharmac is managing a supply issue affecting progesterone (Utrogestan) 100 mg capsules. Increased demand and long manufacturing lead times have been further impacted by a temperature issue with a recent air freight shipment.
Currently, progesterone (Utrogestan) is a stat medicine. This means that it can be dispensed from a pharmacy in 3-month supplies. From the 1 May 2026, Pharmac will remove stat dispensing from Utrogestan, which means that pharmacies will only be able to dispense a maximum supply of one month at a time.
Supply issue: imiquimod (Padagis) cream 5% sachets
The supplier of Imiquimod (Padagis) cream 5% sachets has notified Pharmac that due to the conflict in the Middle East this product will be in short supply.
Pharmac has sourced and listed (funded) Aldara cream 5% sachets as an alternate. The Aldara brand has the same active ingredient. This is not a Medsafe approved product and will need to be prescribed and dispensed in line with Section 29A of the Medicines Act.
Brand change: Nitrofurantoin tab 50mg new Clinect brand due to discontinuation of the Nifuran brandNifuran 50mg and 100mg tablets have been discontinued. The remaining stock of Nifuran 50mg tablets will expire October 2026. Nifuran 100mg tablet stock was depleted early 2025.
Nitrofurantoin tab 50mg Clinect brand will be listed (funded) 1 May 2026. This brand is Medsafe approved. The active ingredient and strength remain the same. There are changes to the excipients, but the new brand remains gluten free. Images of both brands can be seen - Nitrofurantoin on the Pharmac website
Update on how Pharmac is working with the recent Section 29 and 29A changesThis is an update on how Pharmac is working with the recent changes to the Medicines Act 1981
Medicines Act 1981 - Section 29 permits the sale or supply of an unapproved medicine to a medical practitioner, nurse practitioner or pharmacist prescriber for the treatment of a patient under their care.
Medicines Act 1981 - Section 29A permits the sale or supply of an unapproved medicine that is funded by Pharmac as an alternative to an approved funded medicine in short supply to any authorised prescriber for the treatment of a patient under their care.
This means that if a Medsafe approved funded medicine is replaced with an unapproved medicine due to a supply issue, any authorised prescriber may prescribe it under Section 29A for a patient under their care.
An authorised prescriber is anyone with prescribing rights as authorised by the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 and includes nurse practitioners, optometrists, dentists, registered midwives, and designated prescribers.
Sections 29 and 29A of the Act require the patient to be known at the time of supply. On this basis, supply on a Practitioner’s Supply Order is not possible. However, there are exceptional circumstances for some emergency medicines.
Section 29A medicines can be found on the Pharmac website.
For individual supply issues, if the medicine is replaced by an unapproved brand, a Section 29A flag will appear at the top of its webpage.
To create a list of Section 29A medicines - on the left-hand side of the above webpage you can filter for Section 29A medicines.
The NZ Formulary website has a Pharmac supply information page – Pharmac supply information
For further information see the Medsafe webpage Use of Unapproved Medicines and Use of approved Medicines for an unapproved purpose
Proposal to expand pharmacy services
Pharmac and Health New Zealand are seeking feedback on a proposal to expand pharmacy services.
This proposal would allow community pharmacies to provide a wider range of funded clinical services for common conditions that may have otherwise required a GP visit, including:
scabies treatment for children/families
oral rehydration treatment for children
headlice treatment for children/families
pain and fever management for children
conjunctivitis treatment for children
treatment for uncomplicated urinary tract infection
access to emergency contraception.
To support this change, Health New Zealand would fund consultations provided by community pharmacies for eligible people, and Pharmac would amend the Pharmaceutical Schedule to allow Direct Provision by Pharmacists in accordance with their pharmacy agreement.
Health New Zealand would work with pharmacists to implement resources to support this proposal.
Consultation closes at 5pm, Thursday 30 April, 2026 and feedback can be submitted via our Joint proposal from Pharmac and Health New Zealand to expand pharmacy services - online form.
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.
Blood glucose test strips (visually impaired) (SensoCard) Blood glucose test strips
Daunorubicin (Pfizer) Inj 18.7 mg vial (Pfizer)
Dexamethasone (Maxidex) Eye oint 0.1%
Hydrocortisone (Solu-Cortef) Inj 100 mg vial
Iloprost (Vebulis) Nebuliser soln 10 mcg per ml, 2 ml
Mitomycin C Inj 5 mg vial
Phenytoin sodium (Dilantin) Cap 30 mg
Ursodeoxycholic acid (Ursosan) Cap 250 mg
Varenicline tartrate (Pharmacor Varenicline) Tab 0.5 mg x 11 and 1 mg x 42
