Chronic shortages of ADHD medication have been Pharmac's "most significant supply issue", according to a ministerial briefing obtained by 1News, with shortfalls likely to last throughout the year.
New Zealand is currently out of stock of some ADHD pills — 18mg and 27mg of Concerta and 36mg Teva.
While Teva shipments were due this month, Concerta shipments would not arrive until the end of March, the drug-buying agency estimated.
In a 2025 ministerial briefing released to 1News under the Official Information Act, Pharmac said: "The supply shortage of ADHD medication remains the most significant supply issue being managed by Pharmac."
The document release also showed third-party feedback to the drug-buying agency had warned last year that medication supply issues "may lead to higher rates of non-accident injuries and suicide in people living with ADHD".
Rules changed this month to allow GPs and nurse practitioners to assess and prescribe medications for ADHD, with a corresponding rise in patients expected.
Supply problems last year saw the plans delayed from July 2025 until this month in the hope it would be resolved by now.
The number of ADHD patients on long-acting methylphenidate medications in New Zealand also rose from 49,000 in 2023 to 69,000 in 2025, according to the official documents.
Supply problems an 'ADHD apocalypse'
ADHD patient Lizzie Sayegh told 1News the supply problems were an "ADHD apocalypse – I liken that to the shortage".
Limited access to Concerta meant some patients have had to find new treatment in the past year, with Sayegh spending six months swapping between four new drugs.
"My mind was blank so that stressed me out, not being able to do my job. Then there's the sleep that goes with it, not being able to sleep."
Aroreretini Aotearoa convenor Kent Duston, who represented adults with ADHD, said it was not just a New Zealand problem, but an international one.
"We are at the beck and call of international drug companies."
Royal College of Psychiatrists ADHD spokesperson Dr David Chinn said people would respond differently to different brands.
"They last different lengths of time, people may experience different side effects with these medicines," he said.
"Sometimes, if only one brand is the medicine that people respond to, people have at times been kind of missing doses.”
Pharmac chief medical officer Dr David Hughes said in a statement to 1News that the agency was working closely with suppliers and clinicians to manage ongoing global supply issues affecting methylphenidate.
"We funded a new brand of methylphenidate from December 1, 2025 (brand name Sandoz), and consulted on funding another (brand name Rubifen LA) in November 2025. This consultation closed in December 2025, and we expect to share an outcome soon," he said.
"We have also funded lisdexamfetamine (brand name Vyvanse) to help with supply and provide more treatment options."
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