PHARMAC Places Temporary Dispensing Limits On Paracetamol

PHARMAC is placing temporary dispensing limits on Government-funded paracetamol from Monday 9 March 2020.

“With the outbreak of Covid-19, it’s inevitable that there will be disruptions to supply chains and the first we are seeing of this is paracetamol” says PHARMAC’s director of operations Lisa Williams.

PHARMAC have been advised that international manufacturing sites for the active pharmaceutical ingredient (raw material) for paracetamol have been closed due to quarantine and other restrictions connected with Covid-19. The main site for the raw materials for paracetamol is in China.

Quarantines can slow or even halt activities in manufacturing plants and can impact transportation and receiving goods through ports.

PHARMAC is reducing the amount that can be dispensed per patient (except where needed for chronic use) and is putting in place monthly dispensing arrangements (rather than three monthly) for funded paracetamol.

The temporary limits are for paracetamol prescribed to you by a health professional, they don’t apply to paracetamol that you can purchase yourself without a prescription

There is currently enough stock in New Zealand to meet four months of normal demand.

It is important that access to the stock we have is carefully managed to ensure that all New Zealanders who need funded paracetamol over the coming months will have access to it.

The temporary dispensing limits will allow the contracted supplier, and potentially other suppliers if necessary, time to get additional stock, until normal supplies of the raw material resumes.

Paracetamol is an important funded medicine for many people in New Zealand, over 365 million funded tablets are dispensed each year.

“Impacts to supply of paracetamol is a global issue and we don’t know yet when normal supply of this raw material will resume. The supplier will continue to update us regularly, and once supply resumes dispensing will return to normal,” concludes Ms Williams.

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