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Almost 50,000 ADHD sufferers will have easier access to Ritalin and other banned drugs under Pharmac’s announced changes.
Until now, the main drugs to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder required a new prescription every month for methylphenidate or dexamphetamine.
Starting June 1, they will only need a prescription every three months, using electronic prescribing.
ADHD NZ chairman Darren Bull welcomed the change and said it would save people time and money from getting repeat prescriptions.
It also had a wider psychological impact, he said.
“I think ADHD has been normalized as a medical condition — it is, it is a neurological disorder. The medical community’s approach to it should be the same as any other medical condition,” he said.
Lisa Williams, director of pharmacy operations, said the drug procurement agency worked with clinicians and the ADHD community on the changes.
“This will reduce costs for around 48,000 New Zealanders receiving subsidized methylphenidate and dexamphetamine and has the potential to reduce anxiety in people living with ADHD,” she said.
The change does not apply to paper prescriptions because this requires a change in the law, and the drug is still billed monthly.
Bull said there was still another big hurdle to getting the drug – the requirement to get a license from a psychiatrist or pediatrician every two years to get the drug from a general practitioner.
Both Pharmacy and Teu Ora were observing the regulation.
The issue came to the fore last year at a disciplinary hearing by Auckland GP and ADHD expert Tony Hane.
He was found guilty of professional misconduct after trying to work around the change by getting a specialist in rubber stamp approvals.
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