Chloramphenicol data

Response to an Official Information Act request for data on chloramphenicol (Chlorsig).

24 October 2019

[name and contact details redacted]

Dear [name redacted]

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Thank you for your request dated 27 September 2019 under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA).  You asked:

How much CHLORSIG eye ointment (chloramphenicol) has been dispensed (used) in New Zealand for the past three years.

We have interpreted your question to mean the number of subsidised packs of chloramphenicol ointment (Chlorsig) dispensed in either DHB hospitals or the community, for the years 2017-2019, where a pack of Chlorsig is a 4g tube of ointment. Data is for year to June for the three years requested.

Number of chloramphenicol packs dispensed, year to June, hospitals       
2017 56,094
2018 52,692
2019 54,007
Number of chloramphenicol packs dispensed, year to June, community   
2017 145,092
2018 148,710
2019 150,279

Please note that PHARMAC approaches its assessment of requests for information under the OIA on the basis that, once released, the information becomes publicly available. In other words once we release the information to you it becomes available to any other party in that exact form (whether by you distributing it to others or by virtue of us receiving the same request from a different third party). 

We trust that this information answers your queries.  We are making our information more freely available, so we will now publish selected OIA responses (excluding personal details) on our website.  Please get in touch with us if you have any questions about this.

Yours sincerely

Alison Hill
Director, Engagement and Implementation