Four varieties of the contraceptive pill are out of stock in New Zealand, including two brought in as alternatives for another drug.
Brevinor and Necon were stocked as alternatives for Norimin, when supply ran out either this year.
But now supply of those alternatives is expected to run out by mid-October, with more Norimin not expected until mid-February.
There's also a shortage of Brevinor-1, which is a separate drug to Brevinor.
Pharmac says around 9000 women take Brevinor-1, while around 16,000 women take either Norimin or its replacements Brevinor or Necon.
"Some pharmacies may still have stock of the temporary alternative brands Necon or Brevinor to replace Norimin to fill prescriptions, but this will be limited and unevenly distributed across the country," acting medical director Dr Ken Clark told 1 NEWS in a statement today.
"We recognise and acknowledge this situation will be disruptive for some people."
Clark encourages impacted people to talk to their prescriber about other contraceptive options.
Manufacturer Pfizer says the shortage of its oral contraceptives is due to a manufacturing delay, adding the company is "committed to actively resolving this matter".
"Pfizer advises patients who need to replenish their supply to discuss alternative contraception options with their healthcare professional," a spokesperson said.
These oral contraceptives are the latest drugs to struggle with supply issues due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
To ease the pressure on the systems, most prescription medications were limited to a one-month or three-month supply at a time, instead of longer periods.
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