FAQ for Consumers

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

My doctor applied for a Special Authority for me. How long will the application take to be processed?

HealthPAC, the Ministry of Health’s payment agency, process Special Authority applications but liaise only with the prescriber, so prescribers need to request an update on applications where necessary.

Where can I obtain a Pharmaceutical Subsidy Card?

From your pharmacist – once you and/or your family have reached 20 subsidised items in the 12 month period between 1 Feb and 31 Jan, your pharmacy will issue you with a Prescription Subsidy Card. If you visit more than one pharmacy, retain your receipts and give them to your pharmacist as a record.

Where can I obtain a Community Services Card?

Contact WINZ on 0800 999 999, who can provide advice on eligibility, and more information.

How much might my pharmacist charge me for prescriptions?

If your medicine is fully subsidised, there is currently a maximum co-payment of $15 per prescription item (a prescription may contain more than one item). The price you pay for your medicine depends on the level of subsidy.

If your medicine is partly subsidised, you pay a co-payment plus the manufacturer's surcharge.

For Community Services Cardholders, the maximum co-payment is currently $3 per prescription. More information explaining prescription charges.

Why is the brand I have been taking for a number of years no longer subsidised?

There are two main reasons:

PHARMAC uses a tender system to source off-patent pharmaceuticals. This system allows for one brand of a particular drug to be subsidised. Occasionally the brand may change if another supplier bids successfully for a new contract. Sometimes the old brand will continue to be available but the patient pays full cost.
The supplier of the brand you have been taking is no longer supplying this medicine in New Zealand.

Your pharmacist should be able to give you details about any changes to your medicine.

I have been changed to the generic version of my medication and am having side effects that I cannot tolerate. What can I do?

If your medication has changed, it usually means that another supplier has successfully bid for the supply contract or the previous supplier has withdrawn from the New Zealand market.

If you find yourself in this situation, there are a number of options open to you:

If your former brand of medication is still available you could buy it at your own cost.
If your former medication is no longer for sale in New Zealand, your doctor or pharmacist may be able to import the drug under Section 29 of the Medicines Act, again without subsidy.
You could apply to have your former medication subsidised by the Exceptional Circumstances Panel. Certain criteria must be met to qualify for Exceptional Circumstances approval. See the Exceptional Circumstances section of the PHARMAC website for more details.

I tried to collect a repeat prescription today and my pharmacist told me the prescription had expired yesterday so I couldn't get it. Why not?

Prescriptions for subsidised medicines are only valid for 90 days from the date the medicine was first dispensed.

The pharmacist will not be reimbursed if they dispense a repeat after that date.

Your medicine label should remind you of future collection dates, so refer to this to avoid prescription expiry. This date is the very last day on which you can collect your repeat.

For more details about prescriptions, refer to Section A, General Rules, Part III: Period and Quantity of Supply, in the Pharmaceutical Schedule.

I tried to collect a repeat prescription today and my pharmacist told me I couldn't have it because it wasn't 20 days since it was last dispensed. What do they mean?

Some prescriptions are dispensed on a monthly basis to avoid wastage, potential misuse and stockpiling of medicines.

In order to issue a repeat prescription for a subsidised medicine, Pharmacists must be able to reasonably assume that the previous supply of medicine is 'substantially exhausted'.

As a general rule, 'substantially exhausted' means 20 days have elapsed since the previous dispensing or two-thirds of the supply has been used.

Patients who have difficulty getting to and from a pharmacy may receive an exemption from monthly dispensing.

Page updated on 13 Feb 2008