Pharmac is reconsidering its decision to fund only one brand of HRT oestrogen patches after receiving “considerable feedback”.
The patches are used by menopausal people as a hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and some trans women and non-binary people as a gender-affirming hormone therapy.
In November, the agency decided only the Mylan-brand patch would be funded, as part of an effort to address ongoing shortages.
There was a huge public backlash to the decision, with many people claiming the Mylan-brand patch was less effective in controlling menopausal symptoms.
More than 1300 people signed a petition calling on the government to keep the Estradot brand available.
Pharmac said it was working with the suppliers of Estradot and Estradiol TDP Mylan on an updated proposal to make more than one brand of patches available beyond December 2025.
The team aimed to ask for feedback, in a public consultation, in late February, it said.
“While the global shortage has not been solved by any stretch, we are looking at what we can do to ensure that people can get the best patches for their personal situations,” Pharmac senior therapeutic group manager Alexandra Compton said.
“It was clear from the feedback we got that while different brands of patches should work the same, this is not everyone’s experience.
“I want to thank everyone that has taken the time to share their personal experiences with us, and to the menopause specialists and patient advocates who have met with our team working on this. Your feedback has helped us to identify and understand the issues with our original proposal and with the development of an updated one.”
Compton said people also shared that they felt like they were not consulted enough on this change and that it had caused a lot of distress.
“We are sorry for that and have learnt some valuable lessons from this experience,” she said.
Pharmac said the oestradiol patches currently in use would continue to be available as the agency worked through this process.
The minister responsible for Pharmac, David Seymour, said he was “absolutely thrilled” Pharmac was reconsidering its options.
“I’ve asked Pharmac to be more responsive and to hear more patient voice. Clearly the assumption that one HRT is as good as another HRT was not true, once you listened to the women who were using these,” he said.
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