Oral feed dispensed in community and purchased in DHB hospitals in 2020/21

OIA response

Thank you for your request dated 13 April 2022 under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) for information relating to oral feed subsidised in financial year[1] 2020/21. You requested: 

How many units of the following products were subsidised by PHARMAC during the 2020/2021 year:    

Under the Community Schedule:

  1. Oral feed powder (chocolate):
    1. Ensure (2504324) 850 g
    2. Sustagen Hospital Formula Active (2538997) 840 g
  2. Oral feed powder (vanilla): 
    1. Ensure (2504316) 850 g 
    2. Sustagen Hospital Formula Active (2539004) 840 g 
  3. Oral feed liquid (banana) 
    1. Ensure Plus (234885) 200 ml OP 
    2. Fortisip (2220857) 200 ml OP 
  4. Oral feed liquid (chocolate) 
    1. Ensure Plus (234680) 200 ml OP 
    2. Fortisip (2220830) 200 ml OP 
  5. Oral feed liquid (fruit of the forest) 
    1. Ensure Plus (234893) 200 ml OP 
  6. Oral feed liquid (vanilla) 
    1. Ensure Plus (234672) 200 ml OP 
    2. Ensure Plus (308455) 237 ml OP 
    3. Fortisip (2220822) 200 ml OP  

Under the Hospital Medicine List:

  1. Oral feed powder
    1. Ensure (chocolate) (2504324) 850 g 
    2. Ensure (vanilla) (2504316) 850 g 
  2. Liquid
    1. Ensure Plus (vanilla) (308455) 237 ml OP
    2. Ensure Plus (banana) (234885) 200 ml OP 
    3. Ensure Plus (chocolate) (234680) 200 ml OP 
    4. Ensure Plus (fruit of the forest) (234893) 200 ml OP 
    5. Ensure Plus (vanilla) (234672) 200 ml OP 

Please find data for your request provided within the tables below.

Table 1: Oral feed dispensed in the community in financial year 2020/21

Brand name Formula Pharmacode Formulation Base units Units dispensed Packs dispensed
Ensure Oral feed (powder) 2504324 Powder (chocolate) g 84,702,500 99,650
Ensure Oral feed (powder) 2504316 Powder (vanilla) g 214,424,400 252,264
Sustagen Hospital Formula Oral feed (powder) 2538997 Powder (chocolate) g 990,360 1,179
Sustagen Hospital Formula Active Oral feed (powder) 2539004 Powder (vanilla) g 1,286,880 1,532
Ensure Plus Oral feed 1.5kcal/ml 234885 Liquid (banana) ml 22,626,800 113,134
Ensure Plus Oral feed 1.5kcal/ml 234680 Liquid (chocolate) ml 36,458,600 182,293
Ensure Plus Oral feed 1.5kcal/ml 234893 Liquid (fruit of the forest) ml 25,498,200 127,491
Ensure Plus Oral feed 1.5kcal/ml 234672 Liquid (vanilla) ml 52,739,600 263,698
Ensure Plus Oral feed 1.5kcal/ml 308455 Liquid (vanilla) ml 17,625,927 74,371
Fortisip Oral feed 1.5kcal/ml 2220857 Liquid (banana) ml 48,031,600 240,158
Fortisip Oral feed 1.5kcal/ml 2220830 Liquid (chocolate) ml 82,255,200 411,276
Fortisip Oral feed 1.5kcal/ml 2220822 Liquid (vanilla) ml 128,993,200 644,966

Table 2: Oral feed purchased by DHBs in financial year 2020/211

Brand name Formula Pharmacode Formulation Base units Units purchased2,3 Packs purchased2,3
Ensure Oral feed 2504324 Powder 15.9 g protein, 57.4 g carbohydrate and 14 g fat per 100 g, can (Chocolate) g -147,900 -174
Ensure Oral feed 2504316 Powder 15.9 g protein, 57.4 g carbohydrate and 14 g fat per 100 g, can (Vanilla) g -228,650 -269
Ensure Plus Oral feed 1.5 kcal/ml 234885 Liquid 6.25 g protein, 20.2 g carbohydrate and 4.92 g fat per 100 ml, carton (Banana) ml 151,800 759
Ensure Plus Oral feed 1.5 kcal/ml 234680 Liquid 6.25 g protein, 20.2 g carbohydrate and 4.92 g fat per 100 ml, carton (Chocolate) ml 120,800 604
Ensure Plus Oral feed 1.5 kcal/ml 234893 Liquid 6.25 g protein, 20.2 g carbohydrate and 4.92 g fat per 100 ml, carton (Fruit of the Forest) ml 45,000 225
Ensure Plus Oral feed 1.5 kcal/ml 308455 Liquid 5.5 g protein, 21.1 g carbohydrate and 4.81 g fat per 100 ml, can (Vanilla) ml -16,353 -69
Ensure Plus Oral feed 1.5 kcal/ml 234672 Liquid 6.25 g protein, 20.2 g carbohydrate and 4.92 g fat per 100 ml, carton (Vanilla) ml 777,200 3,886

Please note:

  1. Data includes all units reported by DHB hospitals to Pharmac as of 29 April 2022.
  2. Units and packs purchased by DHB hospitals are based on purchase data provided by DHB hospitals. Pharmac makes no representation as to the accuracy of the figures provided.
  3. Units and packs purchased by DHB hospitals are offset by units and packs dispensed in the community. This means, where DHB hospital figures are negative, this is because the units/packs have been claimed by community dispensers. 

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

[1] Pharmac's financial year runs from 1 July to 30 June.