Apotex medicines in New Zealand

Last Updated: 22 June 2021

Supply issue Active

Apotex has announced that it is leaving the New Zealand market.

On this page

Apotex makes generic medicines. There are other manufacturers that also make most of the generic medicines Apotex currently supplies. PHARMAC is working with these suppliers to ensure New Zealanders can continue to access the medicines they need.

What will happen to my medicine?

Most likely, your medicine will still be available. But you might need to use a different brand.

If PHARMAC can’t get a different brand of your existing medicine, you will need to talk to your doctor about moving to a suitable alternative treatment.

As we find replacements, we’ll let doctors and pharmacists know. We’ll also put information for you on our website.

We know that changing your medicine can be disruptive. We’re working hard to keep this to a minimum. Thank you for your understanding.

What PHARMAC is doing

We have already found alternatives for some medicines. PHARMAC asked suppliers whether they could supply another brand for the remaining Apotex medicines.

PHARMAC makes these types of changes to medicines quite commonly. All changes will be communicated to your doctor and pharmacist. We’ll also have information for you on our website.

Consultations

We are currently consulting on:

Proposed changes to primidone and gabapentin.

What are the affected medicines

This table outlines the currently affected medicines. The indicates the current situation for each medicine.

Chemical	Brand	Presentation	Pharmacode	Replacement
Azithromycin	Apo-Azithromycin	Tab 500 mg	2405318	Brand: Zithromax Supplier: Pfizer Listing: 1 July 2021 Read the decision
		Tab 250 mg	2405296	Supplier not secured
Ciclopirox olamine	Apo-Ciclopirox	Nail-soln 8%	2401797	TBC
Bromocriptine mesylate	Apo-Bromocriptine	Tab 2.5 mg	793086	No new patients to start on Apo-Bromocriptine from 1 March 2021
Clarithromycin	Apo-Clarithromycin	Tab 500 mg Tab 250 mg	2385511 2385503	Brand: Klacid Supplier: Mylan Listing: 1 September 2021 Read the supply issue medicine notice for clarithromycin
Clomipramine hydrochloride	Apo-Clomipramine	Tab 25 mg	2289830	Read our consultation on the proposed new brand
		Tab 10 mg	2289822	Read our consultation on the proposed new brand
Escitalopram	Escitalopram-Apotex	Tab 10 mg	2522241	Brand: Ethics Supplier: Multichem Listing: 1 May 2021
		Tab 20 mg	2522268	Brand: Ethics Supplier: Multichem Listing: 1 May 2021
Deferiprone	Ferriprox	Oral liq 100 mg per 1 ml	2369524	Brand: Ferriprox Supplier: Chiesi
		Tab 500 mg	2369532	Brand: Ferriprox Supplier: Chiesi
Diclofenac sodium	Apo-Diclo SR	Tab long-acting 100 mg	2025760	TBC
		Tab long-acting 75 mg	2025752	TBC
Diltiazem hydrochloride	Apo-Diltiazem CD	Cap long-acting 240 mg	2401827	Read our consultation on the proposed new brand
		Cap long-acting 120 mg	2401800	Read our consultation on the proposed new brand
		Cap long-acting 180 mg	2401819	Read our consultation on the proposed new brand
Doxazosin	Apo-Doxazosin	Tab 2 mg Tab 4 mg	2261502 2261510	Brand: Apo-Doxazosin Supplier: Clinect
				Brand: Apo-Doxazosin Supplier: Clinect
Folic acid	Apo-Folic Acid	Tab 5 mg Tab 0.8 mg	304131 2025736	Brand: Folic Acid Mylan Supplier: Mylan Listing: 1 July 2021 Read the decision
Furosemide [Frusemide]	Apo-Furosemide	Tab 40 mg	2565781	Read our consultation on the proposed new brand
Gabapentin	Apo-Gabapentin	Cap 100 mg	2540754	Read our consultation on the proposed new brand
		Cap 300 mg	2540762	Read our consultation on the proposed new brand
		Cap 400 mg	2540770	Read our consultation on the proposed new brand
Megestrol acetate	Apo-Megestrol	Tab 160 mg	2261499	TBC
Metformin hydrochloride	Apotex	Tab immediate-release 500 mg	2400995	Read our consultation on the proposed new brand
		Tab immediate-release 850 mg	2401002	Read our consultation on the proposed new brand
Metoprolol tartrate	Apo-Metoprolol	Tab 100 mg	2499754	Read our consultation on the proposed new brand
		Tab 50 mg	2499746	Read our consultation on the proposed new brand
Mirtazapine	Apo-Mirtazapine	Tab 30 mg	2486164	Read our consultation on the proposed new brand
		Tab 45 mg	2486172	Read our consultation on the proposed new brand
Nadolol	Apo-Nadolol	Tab 40 mg	787493	Read our consultation on the proposed new brand
		Tab 80 mg	787515	Read our consultation on the proposed new brand
Oxybutynin	Apo-Oxybutynin	Oral liq 5 mg per 5 ml	340413	Discontinuation
		Tab 5 mg	2110431	Access Change
Perindopril	Apo-Perindopril	Tab 2 mg Tab 4 mg	2437147 2437155	Brand: Coversyl Listing: 1 February 2021 Read about the brand change for Apo-Perindopril
Pindolol	Apo-Pindolol	Tab 10 mg	748358	TBC
		Tab 15 mg	748374	TBC
		Tab 5 mg	748366	TBC
Prazosin	Apo-Prazosin	Tab 2 mg	2453398	TBC
		Tab 1 mg	2453371	TBC
		Tab 5 mg	2453401	TBC
Prednisone	Apo-Prednisone	Tab 20 mg Tab 1 mg Tab 5 mg Tab 2.5 mg	374466 665762 304328 695459	Brand: Apo-Prednisone Supplier: Clinect
Primidone	Apo-Primidone	Tab 250 mg	2049015	Read our consultation on the proposed new brand
Propranolol	Apo-Propranolol	Tab 10 mg	2525941	Read our consultation on the proposed new brand
		Tab 40 mg	2525968	Read our consultation on the proposed new brand
Pyridoxine hydrochloride	Apo-Pyridoxine	Tab 50 mg	304379	TBC
Selegiline	Apo-Selegiline	Tab 5 mg	2374420	TBC
Sumatriptan	Apo-Sumatriptan	Tab 100 mg	2519631	Read our consultation on the proposed new brand
		Tab 50 mg	2519623	Read our consultation on the proposed new brand
Timolol	Apo-Timol	Tab 10 mg	750727	Apo-Timol tab 10 mg is being discontinued. Read more about the timolol discontinuation