Firazyr: Your brand is changing to Icatibant Lupin
Between 1 May and 1 October 2026, your funded brand of icatibant is changing from Firazyr to Lupin.
The same ingredients, in the same amount
Lupin is a generic version of Firazyr. It contains the same active ingredient in the same amount and is designed to work in your body the same way. The inactive ingredients (excipients) are also the same.
The injection is also the same. If you know how to use Firazyr, you will be able to confidently use Icatibant Lupin.
Specialist clinicians have reviewed the Icatibant Lupin brand. They advise that other countries, including Australia, have successfully changed to the Lupin brand. People taking the new brand experienced the same level of effectiveness.
Approved by Medsafe
Medsafe has reviewed Icatibant Lupin and approved it for use in New Zealand. It meets New Zealand standards of safety, quality, and effectiveness.
About Medsafe's role(external link)
When will this happen?
Sometime between 1 May and 1 October, your pharmacy will dispense you the Lupin brand for the first time.
Firazyr brand will stop being funded from 1 October 2026.
Why is this happening
Every year, Pharmac runs a tender process to create competition among suppliers to supply many medicines used by New Zealanders. Firazyr was the first brand of icatibant made and sold across the world, it is the innovator brand. Icantibant Lupin is a generic brand.
Changing to a generic brand helps Pharmac manage the costs of medicines. Any savings we make are returned to the medicines budget to help pay for new medicines.
Your brand change is helping fund more medicines for more New Zealanders.
About the annual tender process
Information for pharmacists
Icatibant Lupin was listed from 1 May 2026.
- Icatibant Lupin Pharmacode: 2720531
- Firazyr Pharmacode: 2617560
Schedule listing for icatibant(external link)
Brand switch fee
A brand switch fee has been applied to acknowledge time you may spend counselling. BSF in place from 1 October 2026 and will be delisted on 1 January 2027.
You can download this flyer to support conversations with patients.
- Icatibant Lupin brand change A5 Flyer [PDF 211 KB]
Information for clinicians
Both clinicians and patients in Australia have said that the change to the Lupin brand was straightforward. We do not anticipate any issues with this brand change. However, if needed, an alternative brand allowance is available.
If your patient experiences significant clinical adverse effects, you can apply for a Named Patient Pharmaceutical Assessment (NPPA) to potentially get funded access an alternative brand of icatibant.
The supply of an alternative cannot be guaranteed.
Who to contact
If you have any questions about the new brand of icatibant, you can contact the supplier, Lupin.
You can order resources, including dummy injections from Lupin NZ Customer Service, email nzcustomerservice@lupin.com
Or you can call on 0800 600 597 (option 3 for icatibant injection)
If you have questions about the funding of icatibant injections, email enquiry@pharmac.govt.nz