From 1 February 2026, the maximum period of supply for most prescription types increased from 3 months to up to 12 months.
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The maximum quantity of medicine to be supplied on each prescription is decided by the prescriber.
Frequently asked questions
Periods of supply
The first dispensing for any medicine must happen within 3 months of when the prescription was made. This is a legal requirement under the Medicines Regulations 42(3)(c). It can neither be dispensed nor subsidised.
Prescriptions can also be written for items that aren't medicines, such as CGMs. While these technically can have a first dispensing after 3 months, this will not be funded.
Where no legal limit exists, up to 12 months’ total treatment may be subsidised, as long as dispensing follows Schedule rules (see Section 3.2).
Some items on the Schedule are not medicines (such as special foods) and are not regulated under the same legislation as medicines, so have no legal supply limit. This rule limits the subsidy period on these items to the same as for medicines.
Dispensing rules
Dispensing periods will now align with the legal maximums already set out in:
This replaces previously listed Schedule dispensing durations.
A single dispensing may include up to 3 months’ supply, unless otherwise specified in the Schedule.
Some items on the Schedule are not medicines (such as special foods) and are not regulated under the same legislation as medicines, so they do not have a legal supply limit.
Where there is no legal maximum dispensing period, only a quantity sufficient for up to three months of treatment in a single dispensing will be subsidised, unless otherwise specified.
The ‘two-thirds rule’ refers to rule 3.3.1 of the Schedule which clarifies when repeat dispensings are eligible for subsidy. Repeat dispensings will be funded:
if the previous supply has run out, or
two-thirds of the expected time between dispensings has passed, or
For products that are medicines, the maximum amount that can be supplied at one time remains 3 months (6 months for oral contraceptives).
If someone is overseas for more than 3 months, legally only 3 months’ supply can be provided at once (section 42(3)(da) of the Medicines Regulations 1984). This advice is provided by the Ministry of Health as it relates to the Medicines Regulations 1984, for which it is the responsible agency.
For products that aren't medicines, Rule 4.4.2 allows up to 90 days' supply to be funded if the person is travelling. There is no legal limit on the amount that can be dispensed, only a funding limit.
Special Authority (SA) Rules
If the first dispensing was made before the Special Authority expired:
Remaining repeats may still be dispensed up to a total of 3 months’ funded supply, even after the SA expiry date.
For any further funded supply beyond that:
A new Special Authority is required.
For example:
If a person has received one month’s supply on a prescription and the Special Authority approval expires during the second month, they can still collect funded repeats for months two and three to complete a full three months of funded supply (even if the repeats are collected after the expiry date).
If a person has received five months’ supply on a prescription and the approval expires during the sixth month, no further repeats will be funded until the Special Authority is renewed, as they have already received more than three months of funded supply.
Product‑specific clarifications
Up to 52 tablets of Fosamax can be dispensed over 12 months (assuming the dose is one tablet weekly). Pharmac subsidises up to 360 days of treatment on a 12-month prescription.
It is still dispensed in 90-day lots.
Although they look like they conflict, they apply to different time definitions:
The Schedule defines 1 month = 30 days, so 3 months = 90 days → up to 9 devices.
The 40 devices per year limit is for 365 days from the date the Special Authority is approved.
The annual allocation includes a buffer, so the number of funded devices is greater than what might be supplied on a 12-month prescription.
This means:
A person who has received 36 devices (4 × 9) can still receive up to the annual maximum of 40. They will need a new prescription to access the additional 4 funded devices before the anniversary of their Special Authority approval.
Liraglutide injections (prefilled pen) are listed in the Schedule as 6 mg per ml (that is 18 mg per 3 ml injection). The maximum daily doses funded on prescription for diabetes is 1.8 mg per day, which equates to 0.1 injections per day.
The claiming system requires the product be entered as an injection fraction. The updated limit effectively entitles patients to 3 injections (pens) per month (as is the current limit). As long as pharmacies dispense and claim the correct number of injections, claims will not be rejected.
If the prescribed dose exceeds 1.8 mg (0.1 injection) per day, then the entire prescription is non-subsidised (NSS).
Where a prescription for paracetamol is for someone who requires daily dosing for longer than a month, the 300-tablet limit can be exceeded by endorsement.
Where a prescription is for anyone else, a maximum of 100 tablets is funded for each dispensing and repeats cannot exceed 100 tablets. As such, someone without a long-term condition can get a maximum of 300 tablets funded on a prescription.
Health New Zealand has worked with pharmacists, pharmacies, and general practice to develop guidance, webinar resources, and patient messaging to support the prescription length changes.
The Healthify website is a New Zealand website that gives people information about medicines and our health system. They have a plain language on what the changes mean for people collecting prescriptions.
Health New Zealand has guidance on prescription charges and the subsidy scheme, including advice for managing prescriptions when people are away from home.
