Agreement with Protec Solutions Limited for the supply of wound care products

26 May 2014

Hospital devices Decision

PHARMAC is pleased to announce the approval of an agreement with Protec Solutions Limited (“Protec”) for the supply of wound care products.

This was the subject of a consultation letter dated 16 April 2014.

In summary, the effect of the decision is that:

A range of Protec’s wound care products will be listed in Section H, Part III, (‘Optional Pharmaceuticals’) of the Pharmaceutical Schedule from 1 June 2014.
DHB hospitals can purchase these items either directly from Protec or through a designated third party logistics provider under the national agreement.
For the DHBs that currently use these products the national agreement will deliver savings.

Agreement with Protec Solutions Limited for the Supply of Wound Care Products [PDF, 113 KB]

Details of the decision

Following a Registration of Interest document issued in August 2013, PHARMAC has entered into an agreement with Protec for the supply of a selection of wound care products to be listed on the Pharmaceutical Schedule. This means that DHB hospitals may purchase these products under the national agreement at the new pricing.

The list of products is available on PHARMAC’s website in both a PDF document and an Excel spreadsheet.

There are estimated savings to DHBs that currently use these products of approximately $23,000 per annum nationally, based on current usage.

The agreement is not exclusive. DHBs can continue to purchase other brands of wound care products at their discretion.

Educational services will be provided by Protec to DHB personnel on appropriate use of its wound care products and will be arranged in a format and times as agreed with individual DHBs.

Feedback received

PHARMAC appreciates all of the feedback that it has received and acknowledge the time people took to respond. All consultation responses received by 9 May 2014 were considered in their entirety in making a decision on the proposed changes. Most responses were supportive of the proposal, and the following issues were raised in relation to specific aspects of the proposal:

Theme	Comment
The following points were highlighted: Cotton Wool Balls and Rolls: A critical feature of these products is that they must be cotton. Cotton is absorbent and conforms well over uneven surfaces. In product selection it is important to take into account the amount of linting gauze swabs shed. Abdominal Packs and Gauze Sponges: Query whether x-ray detectable gauze sponges that are able to be used intra-operatively will be included in Protec’s proposal.	PHARMAC staff noted these comments. Product selection is still up to the individual DHBs through their internal processes for evaluating new products, and PHARMAC confirms that x-ray detectable gauze sponges are included in Protec’s wound care product range.

Theme

Comment

The following points were highlighted:

Cotton Wool Balls and Rolls: A critical feature of these products is that they must be cotton. Cotton is absorbent and conforms well over uneven surfaces.

In product selection it is important to take into account the amount of linting gauze swabs shed.

Abdominal Packs and Gauze Sponges: Query whether x-ray detectable gauze sponges that are able to be used intra-operatively will be included in Protec’s proposal.

PHARMAC staff noted these comments. Product selection is still up to the individual DHBs through their internal processes for evaluating new products, and PHARMAC confirms that x-ray detectable gauze sponges are included in Protec’s wound care product range.

More information

If you have any questions about this decision, you can email PHARMAC at enquiry@pharmac.govt.nz or call our toll free number (9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday) on 0800 66 00 50.