Manufacturing issues and unprecedented demand have forced hospitals in Australia to conserve supplies of IV fluid, the ABC reports. Photo: 123rf
Pharmac says there is no shortage of intravenous fluids, or IV, for surgery, unlike in Australia, but it is monitoring the situation.
Australia issued an alert on Friday the shortage could last all year and there is talk of surgeries being cancelled.
But Pharmac told RNZ: "There are currently no issues with supply of IV fluids for New Zealand and stock is available at wholesalers," it told RNZ at midday.
The drug buying agency said it understood some suppliers in Australia were experiencing shortages.
"To make sure New Zealand does not experience similar issues we are meeting with Baxter and Health New Zealand regularly to monitor New Zealand's ongoing supply."
If it expected there would be a problem, Pharmac would take steps to resolve it quickly and keep everyone informed, it said.
Pharmac's contractual agreements allowed the country to avoid many supply issues, according to its website.
"These require suppliers to keep a certain amount of stock in New Zealand to keep supply flowing."
It had specialist advisory committees to consult with if a shortage was at hand.
It gave an example of a catheter shortage this year, where it and Te Whatu Ora found an alternative supplier and airfreighted in more stock, preventing any disruption.
New Zealand relies in part on a major IV supplier struggling across the Tasman, Baxter.
"We are aware of [https://www.tga.gov.au/about-IV-fluids-shortages
shortages] of multiple intravenous (IV) fluid products from all three Australian suppliers (Baxter Healthcare, B.Braun, and Fresenius Kabi)," the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration said on Tuesday.
It has rushed through approval of multiple alternative supplies from overseas.
Specialist anaesthetist Dr Graham Roper has been calling around locally after hearing about this on Tuesday evening from colleagues across the Tasman.
"We've contacted pharmacy chains, supply chains, some other big clinical centres around New Zealand ... there hasn't been any notification through those avenues," said Roper, chair of the national committee of the Australia New Zealand College of Anaesthetists College.
The supplier Baxter had not responded yet, he added.
He said this had left him relieved, though with a large 'but'.
"Hospitals around the country seem to have good stocks of fluids for a start-off and no one has been given a particular heads-up ... but we do have to have a little bit of concern and caution with the Australian environment."
Many major surgeries from heart to abdominal to orthopaedic could be curtailed if IV fluids ran short, he said.
Roper had never known of a shortage like this before, and he hoped that Pharmac was planning for what to do, just in case.
RNZ has approached health authorities and IV suppliers, for comment.