njojoaburling@nzdoctor.co.nz

Fifty students will be able to study pharmacist prescribing for free at the University of Otago from next year, and for the following two years

New health minister Shane Reti is working on bringing back the $5 prescription copayment for most people but is not sure exactly when it will happen 

Thousands of people who have been taking a substitute ADHD medicine will have to start switching back to the original brand now it’s arrived back in the country. However, they won’t need a new script 

A retired pharmacist says allowing the sale of pseudoephedrine products would be a “backwards step” and would lead to armed hold-ups, whereas a practising pharmacist who experienced a hold-up welcomes the return of the products, saying they were an effective tool in pharmacists’ arsenal

Several morphine oral liquids will be running out or expiring over the next few months and this is expected to be “a biggie” for pharmacies. At least one brand switch will be required

Dahlia and kava supplements, medicinal herb growing in Taranaki, and a “meatball and spaghetti” compounding method were some of the highlights of Innovation Expo 2023. People were urged to have their say on the Therapeutic Products Act and four suppliers were honoured

Upper Hutt pharmacist Brooke McKay hopes to foster unity in the profession in her new role as vice president of PSNZ

Medsafe is investigating a new digital healthcare provider that has been advertising a controlled drug on social media, and the Medical Council has warned the provider for using its logo without permission

An Auckland pharmacy has become the first in the country to be involved in a pilot campaign to ensure people with mental health and addiction challenges get the medical help they need, without discrimination

The number of people taking funded dulaglutide (Trulicity) has doubled in New Zealand over the past two years and the diabetes medicine is in short supply again, along with its alternative, Victoza (liraglutide). Natasha Jojoa Burling reports