Pharmac: Supply Issue Affective Methylphenidate (Rubifen SR) 20 mg
Notice from Pharmac:
Thursday 16 January 2025
Subject: Supply issue affecting methylphenidate (Rubifen SR) 20 mg
Kia ora,
We’re emailing today to inform you of a supply issue with sustained release methylphenidate (Rubifen SR) and to provide some information you may wish to share with your members.
Pharmac has been made aware that from late January to the middle of February, we expect there will be an outage of Rubifen SR. This has been caused by global supply issues and delays at the manufacturing plant.
We expect some people may not be able to access their medication and may need to move to other ADHD treatments temporarily. People may need to speak to their prescriber about the best option for them.
We have a supply issue webpage which we will update as more information becomes available: Methylphenidate SR tablets: Supply issue.
Information for people who take sustained release methylphenidate.
It is hard when the medicine you are taking is not available – Pharmac is working closely with the suppliers and is doing everything we can to improve the situation.
If you are currently taking the Rubifen SR brand of methylphenidate, and it is not available, you will need to talk to your prescriber. Your prescriber will talk to you about your options. These may include other brands of immediate and long-acting methylphenidate or an alternative medicine.
You may need to pay for an appointment with your prescriber.
To manage the ongoing global supply issues of methylphenidate, Pharmac also funded a new ADHD medicine, lisdexamfetamine, from 1 December 2024. Talk to your prescriber about whether this medicine would be right for you.
Ngā mihi nui
*******
We appreciate the stress and frustration this sort of supply issue causes - ADHD New Zealand will keep you updated with further information from Pharmac, as it becomes available.
Thursday 16 January 2025
Subject: Supply issue affecting methylphenidate (Rubifen SR) 20 mg
Kia ora,
We’re emailing today to inform you of a supply issue with sustained release methylphenidate (Rubifen SR) and to provide some information you may wish to share with your members.
Pharmac has been made aware that from late January to the middle of February, we expect there will be an outage of Rubifen SR. This has been caused by global supply issues and delays at the manufacturing plant.
We expect some people may not be able to access their medication and may need to move to other ADHD treatments temporarily. People may need to speak to their prescriber about the best option for them.
We have a supply issue webpage which we will update as more information becomes available: Methylphenidate SR tablets: Supply issue.
Information for people who take sustained release methylphenidate.
It is hard when the medicine you are taking is not available – Pharmac is working closely with the suppliers and is doing everything we can to improve the situation.
If you are currently taking the Rubifen SR brand of methylphenidate, and it is not available, you will need to talk to your prescriber. Your prescriber will talk to you about your options. These may include other brands of immediate and long-acting methylphenidate or an alternative medicine.
You may need to pay for an appointment with your prescriber.
To manage the ongoing global supply issues of methylphenidate, Pharmac also funded a new ADHD medicine, lisdexamfetamine, from 1 December 2024. Talk to your prescriber about whether this medicine would be right for you.
Ngā mihi nui
*******
We appreciate the stress and frustration this sort of supply issue causes - ADHD New Zealand will keep you updated with further information from Pharmac, as it becomes available.