This is the text extract for 2011-03 Schedule Dispatch, browse documents here.

17 February 2011 March 2011 Pharmaceutical Schedule Dispatch This document is provided to pharmacists as an early notification of the changes to be announced in the March 2011 Update to the Pharmaceutical Schedule. Please notify PHARMAC (0800 66 00 50) to change or remove your contact details. New listings  Lansoprazole (Lanzol Relief) cap 15 mg (p’code 2376466) and 30 mg (p’code 2376474)  Digoxin (Lanoxin PG) tab 62.5 μg – Up to 30 available on a PSO (p’code 2377012)  Cefaclor monohydrate (Cefaclor Sandoz) cap 250 mg (p’code 2370018)  Clarithromycin (Klacid) tab 250 mg – maximum of 500 mg per prescription; can be waived by Special Authority (p’code 2380099)  Darunavir (Prezista) tab 600 mg – Special Authority – Retail pharmacy (p’code 2375699)  Ritonavir (Norvir) tab 100 mg – Special Authority – Retail pharmacy (p’code 2379317)  Ondansetron (Dr Reddy’s Ondansetron) tab disp 4 mg (p’code 2369486) and 8 mg (p’code 2369494) – maximum of 12 tab per prescription, maximum of 6 tab per dispensing and not more than one prescription per month – may be waived by Special Authority New Brand Switch Payments  Pharmacy services (BSF Zapril) brand switch fee – no patient co-payment payable – may only be claimed once per patient per fee (p’code 2378639) The above Pharmacode corresponds with the Brand Switch payments listed as part of the 2010 Pharmacy Services Contract. Full details on dispensing Brand Switch payments, along with resources to aid pharmacists in explaining brand switches were sent to pharmacies in late October 2010. For further resources please order from www.pharmaconline.co.nz. For more information in the meantime, visit: http://www.pharmac.govt.nz/2010/10/17 Changes to restrictions  Blood glucose diagnostic test strip (CareSens and On Call Advanced) blood glucose test strips x 50 and lancets x 5 – change in pack size from 1 OP to 50 test OP. The Pharmacodes for these packs have also changed. CareSens p’code 2380579 and On Call Advanced p’code 2380447  Imiglucerase (Cerezyme) inj 40 iu per ml, 400 iu vial – removal of Section 29  Sildenafil (Viagra) tab 25 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg – amended Special Authority criteria  Influenza vaccine (Fluvax and Fluvarix) inj – Hospital pharmacy (Xpharm) – amended access criteria  Varenicline tartrate (Champix) tab 0.5 mg x 11 and 1 mg x 14 – change in pack size from 1 OP to 25 OP. The pharmacode for this pack has also changed to 2380455  • Gemcitabine hydrochloride inj 200 mg and 1 g (Gemcitabine Ebewe and Gemzar) and inj 1 mg for ECP (Baxter) – amended Special Authority criteria

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Increased subsidy

Chemical Presentation Fully brands subsidised

Potassium chloride Neostigmine Lithium carbonate

Inj 75 mg per ml, 10 ml Inj 2.5 mg per ml, 1 ml Tab long-acting 400 mg

AstraZeneca AstraZeneca Priadel

NB. For further details and magnitude of the above subsidy changes, please consult the online version of the Update to the Pharmaceutical Schedule at: www.pharmac.govt.nz/healthpros/Schedule.

Diabetes Nurse Prescribing The Ministry of Health has informed PHARMAC that it intends to give a group of 12 Diabetes Nurses in 4 DHB sites prescribing rights for a specified list of medicines and medical devices from early March 2011 until 30 September 2011. This project is initiated by Health Workforce New Zealand, on behalf of the Ministry of Health, and The Nursing Council of New Zealand under a directive from the Minister of Health. Regulations are expected to designate the nurses as prescribers and the General Rules of the Pharmaceutical Schedule have been amended to allow subsidy for prescriptions written by the 12 registered nurses practicing in diabetes health. The 4 DHB’s demonstration sites are Auckland, Hawkes Bay, Mid Central and Hutt Valley. Pharmacies in these regions should make themselves familiar with the names of the diabetes nurses permitted to prescribe. These are listed below.

Auckland Hawke's Bay Mid Central Patricia Ball Mele Kaufusi Jennifer Britland Andrea Rooderkerk Heather Charteris Tony Loversuch Mary Meendering Alison Fellerhoff Pauline Giles Kerrie Skeggs Anne-Marie Heffernan Hazel Phillips 052157 114474 060927 117987 117839 138813 108408 064890 108269 112025 148903 160328

Hutt Valley

The list of medicines the above will be permitted to prescribe comprises a selection of diabetes medicines, cardiovascular therapies and NRT. Following the legislation being passed a further fax will be sent to all pharmacies with the start date and a complete list of medicines and medical devices that will be subsidised for these diabetes nurse prescribers. "PHARMAC publishes a quarterly email newsletter, inPharmation, that includes news and updates on developments around PHARMAC and pharmaceutical issues. If you would like to receive inPharmation, contact simon.england@pharmac.govt.nz."

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