Pharmac Reconsiders Oestradiol Patch Options Following Community Feedback

Pharmac is reviewing and reconsidering its oestradiol patch options after considerable feedback was received when it announced a move to a single funded brand late last year.

Pharmac is working with the suppliers of Estradot and Estradiol TDP Mylan on an updated proposal to make more than one brand of patches available beyond December 2025. The team is working on the proposal and aims to ask for feedback, in a public consultation, in late February.

“While the global shortage has not been solved by any stretch, we are looking at what we can do to ensure that people can get the best patches for their personal situations,” says Pharmac’s Senior Therapeutic Group Manager/Team Leader, Alexandra Compton.

“We still have work to do, but as we promised in our last update in December, we wanted to provide you with as much information as we can on our progress.

“It was clear from the feedback we got that while different brands of patches should work the same, this is not everyone’s experience.

“I want to thank everyone that has taken the time to share their personal experiences with us, and to the menopause specialists and patient advocates who have met with our team working on this. Your feedback has helped us to identify and understand the issues with our original proposal and with the development of an updated one.

“People also shared that they felt like they weren’t consulted enough on this change and that it has caused a lot of distress. We are sorry for that and have learnt some valuable lessons from this experience.”

The oestradiol patches currently in use will continue to be available as Pharmac works through this process.

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