The Pharmaceutical Society of NZ is concerned about a lack of consultation on a funding reduction for Paxlovid, and its effect on supply. Photo: DPA Picture-Alliance via AFP
Correction: An earlier version of this story said 3500 consults were done at one pharmacy rather than throughout Bay of Plenty.
Fewer pharmacists are stocking Covid-19 antiviral medication, after the health agency cut its funding by more than half.
The Pharmaceutical Society of NZ has written an open letter to Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand on behalf of its members expressing concern about a lack of consultation on a funding reduction for Paxlovid, and its effect on supply.
On June 24, pharmacies were told funding for Covid-19 antiviral medicines would be changing from the start of July.
They would now only be funded for 15-minute consultations with patients (which were necessary to see if the medication was appropriate for them, but often took longer) and would be reimbursed only if they ended up prescribing it.
The letter reads: "Members have expressed that this change presents them with an extremely difficult choice - provide this service in a professional manner, which will generally take a lot longer than the funded time allocated, or stop providing it."
Stuart MacDonald, chairperson of Bay of Plenty Community Pharmacy Group and owner of Unichem Fifth Avenue in Tauranga, said it was a big decrease in compensation for a sometimes complex process.
He had also written an open letter to the government on behalf of his group.
"The funding dropped from what was $37.50 per 15 minutes of consultation, to $11.98 per dispensing, which is quite a significant drop in funding for actually what ends up being quite a complex dispensing process."
MacDonald said patients were often complex, requiring dosing adjustments or further checks to make sure the medication was right for them, and they knew how to take it.
"It means that the service isn't viable long term - pharmacists aren't being funded enough money."
He said it would likely affect rural areas the most.
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In the past nine months, MacDonald said about 3500 consults had taken place in Bay of Plenty. Aside from a seasonal uptick in April, May and June, that number had remained pretty consistent. "I wouldn't say there's a significantly decreased demand."
"Ideally what we would like is [the government] to treat us like adults, come and speak to us," he said. "Work out what's going to work best for the long-term provision of the service."
Te Whatu Ora said the changes were part of a shift towards managing Covid-19 like other communicable diseases.
"The changes meant that some community pharmacies have decided to stop providing these services," said Martin Hefford, the agency's director of living well, in a statement.
He was confident reasonable access would be maintained across the country, but vaccination remained the first and best line of defence, "and as a result funding for this will remain largely unchanged".