Medicines and Therapies

The Medicines Classification Committee is forging ahead with its recommendation to reclassify pholcodine after considering objections, but says reclassification for paracetamol is not required

Pharmac needs to “try a hell of a lot harder” to engage with stakeholders, especially patients, on how it operates, John Baker says 

Last month’s reclassification of all codeine-containing medicines to prescription-only appears to have elicited grumbling and concern from patients around New Zealand

Testimony on day two of the chief coroner’s inquest into what role a Pharmac epilepsy drug brand switch played in the deaths of six people has revealed more confusion

The testimony of the father of a woman with epilepsy who died suddenly, and from her GP, revealed lack of knowledge about a Pharmac medicines switch

Last month’s reclassification of all codeine-containing medicines to prescription-only appears to have elicited grumbling and concern from patients around New Zealand

Cost has prevented 5 per cent of New Zealanders from picking up a prescription at least once in the past year, and that number is more than double for Māori, Pacific people and people with disabilities

American e-commerce giant Amazon launched a new online pharmacy across the United States on Tuesday, taking the competitive digital prescription service space up yet another notch 

It’s been a turbulent year for Medsafe, as latest figures show the authority conducted 108 audits on pharmacies across New Zealand before the global pandemic quickly derailed almost all pharmacy audits for months  

Reporter Anna Lee talks to pharmacy auditor Tony Cox about his work and how auditors are trying to help, not hinder, pharmacists