45 medicines affected by supply issues

In the past month, Aotearoa has been hit by medicine supply issues affecting large swathes of the population – including treatments for blood pressure, anxiety and menopause symptoms.

Pharmac – New Zealand’s pharmaceuticals agency – was yesterday reporting 45 medicines were affected by supply issues or discontinuations.

Supply of an ‘‘important’’ anxiety and sleep medication, lorazepam, had dwindled to just two weeks’ worth, while people reported cutting their hormone therapy patches in half due to ‘‘logistics’’ challenges. So what’s going on? Of 51 medicines notices overall, 36 were supply issues and nine were discontinuations.

All sorts of medicines were being impacted, including testosterone injections, Champix nicotine replacement tablets, infant formulas and a nebuliser for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Medicines supply issues are not new – regulatory compliance, manufacturing and transportation issues can and do arise often.

However, there are some complicating factors. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic had been an ‘‘unprecedented challenge’’ for global medicine and device supply chains, Pharmac said.

Increased demand, interruption of manufacturing processes and disruptions to distribution caused by millions of people being unwell all factored in.

The Russia-Ukraine war was also impacting the supply chain. For example, there had been constraint on the supply of clonazepam oral drops, used to control seizures or fits, due to difficulties securing flight space following continued disruption from incidents in Ukraine, Pharmac said.

Not all supply issues are equal, either. One product, a hydrocortisone foam enema to treat ulcerative colitis has been out of stock since 2019. Resupply was expected in the first quarter of 2022, but has been delayed to the first quarter of 2023 and an alternative has been secured.

In 2021, there were 219 new supply issues, up slightly on 2020, when there were 203 new issues.

Internet archives show there were 43 supply issues and disruptions in October 2020, 39 in December 2020 and 48 in January 2021.

For context, Pharmac funds nearly 1000 medicines in 2000 forms, meaning about 5% of medicines are currently being impacted. By contrast, Australia has 332 medicine shortages listed, of which 47 are critical.