Impact of Red Sea conflict on the supply chain

Last Updated: 19 January 2024

Medicine update

We understand the Red Sea conflict could have an impact on the supply of medicines and medical devices to New Zealand.

What Pharmac is doing

We are working with suppliers to understand the potential impact of this situation on the supply chain of medicines and medical devices.

If there is a problem...

We will collaborate with suppliers and Medsafe to source alternative products, and the logistics sector to manage freight and distribution. Like everyone we work with, we are committed to making sure we can get the products New Zealanders need.

We will keep our medicine notices page up-to-date with information about any individual products that might be affected.

We are not alone

It is likely that these supply challenges will not be unique to Aotearoa or to health care – they are being felt across the world and across almost every sector. We will work as hard as we can to ensure people can continue to access the medicines they need.

Who to contact

If you have any questions about this, you can email enquiry@pharmac.govt.nz

If you are having difficulty accessing a specific product, please include as much information as you can about the product (presentation, brand, pharmacode) and who your wholesaler is.