Christchurch Medicines Information Service

Nirmatrelvir-ritonavir is a combination medicine used to treat COVID-19 infections. Ritonavir increases (boosts) the concentration of nirmatrelvir by inhibiting its clearance by CYP3A enzymes. This also increases the concentration of other drugs metabolised by CYP3A. This is w­hy drug interactio...

NZ is funding two medicines in new classes for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.1 These will be second line options after metformin, and favoured for patients at high risk of cardiovascular or renal complications. They are subject to special authority criteria.1-3 Empagliflozin, a sodium-glucose ...

Key points The current NZ Sanofi levomepromazine (Nozinan®) 25 mg and 100 mg tablets will be replaced with Swiss Sanofi Nozinan® formulations temporarily from 1st March 2020. They are not bioequivalent. Dose equivalency is 1 x NZ tablet ≈ 0.75 x Swiss tablet. All prescriptions sho...

There are over 240,000 people in NZ currently diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (mostly type 2), and possibly another 100,000 undiagnosed. In October 2018, vildagliptin became the first dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor funded in NZ. It is one of a number of DPP-4 inhibitors used internatio...