The Government’s drug-buying agency Pharmac says global supply issues due to Covid-19 means stocks of 500mg Paracetamol tablets in pharmacies were likely to run out at the end of the month.
“Some patients may find their pharmacy is unable to immediately fill their prescription for paracetamol tablets,” Pharmac chief executive Sarah Fitt said.
“We are working with the supplier to do everything possible to source more paracetamol tablets but understand that this may cause difficulties for some people.”
The supply issue only relates to Paracetamol 500mg tablets prescribed by health professionals, Ms Fitt said.
She said Pharmac didn’t know of stock levels in the retail sector, including at supermarkets, and the shortage only affected the Pharmac-funded brand of the tablets.
“This means it is the responsibility of the supplier to source alternatives, or to pay for the additional cost of an alternative brand.”
Ms Fitt said the pandemic was impacting manufacturing and transportation overseas.
She said Pharmac’s supplier was having stock issues due to decreased capacity at manufacturing plants internationally and the difficulty of obtaining flights out of India for transportation.
The supplier advised Pharmac this week that expected shipments of Paracetamol tablets hadn’t arrived in New Zealand, and stock levels had dropped.
“Stock is likely to run out at the end of July in pharmacies.”
In March, when Pharmac was first advised of a potential supply issue due to the impact of Covid-19, a temporary dispensing limit was put in place.
The National Poisons Centre said research released this month showed "most New Zealanders have large quantities of the painkiller stockpiled in their homes".
It said people most often asked about Paracetamol when calling the National Poisons Centre in 2018.
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