What's New
Estradot® and Climara® patches can be cutNovember 20, 2020
Both Estradot® and Climara® transdermal patches contain estradiol in an adhesive matrix with a release rate proportional to the surface area of the patch. E.g. the Estradot 25® patches release 25 micrograms of estradiol per day from a patch with an area of 2.5 cm2, whereas the Estradot 50® patches release 50 micrograms per day from […]
Discontinuation of terazosin tablets November 16, 2020
Terazosin tablets will no longer be available in New Zealand once current supplies are exhausted. PHARMAC notification is available here. Terazosin is an alpha-blocker approved to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and/or hypertension. For BPH, doxazosin is a suitable alternative: Doxazosin is an alpha-blocker with similar adverse effects and potential for drug interactions as terazosin. See NZF. A direct switch is reasonable. Start at approximately […]
Codeine-containing medicines are now prescription-only November 5, 2020
From the 5 November 2020 all codeine-containing medicines require a prescription and pharmacists will need to keep all these medicines in the dispensary. Manufacturers and health professionals have until the 5 May 2021 to transition to newly-labelled products. Newly-labelled products should be available at the wholesalers by 5 February 2021. Why is this happening? The Medicines Classification Committee (MCC) of Medsafe discussed the risks and benefits […]
Discontinuation of oxazepam tabletsSeptember 7, 2020
Oxazepam will no longer be available in New Zealand once current stocks are exhausted. This is expected to be from mid-October 2020 (10 mg tablets) to mid-November 2020 (15 mg tablets). See the notification from PHARMAC here. Oxazepam is a short-acting benzodiazepine, with a half-life of about 6 hours. For patients currently taking oxazepam: Consider […]