30 August 2016 - PHARMAC has made decisions to award the Zoladex brand of goserelin acetate sole subsidised supply in the community and Hospital Supply Status in DHB hospitals and to apply reference pricing to leuprorelin (Eligard and Lucrin) in the community.

This was the subject of a consultation letter dated 7 July 2016. 

In summary, the effect of the decisions is that:

• the price and subsidy for the Zoladex brand of goserelin acetate (supplied by AstraZeneca) will be reduced from 1 October 2016.
• the Zoladex brand of goserelin acetate will be the community sole subsidised supply brand and have hospital supply status from 1 December 2016 until 30 June 2019. This means that Zoladex will be the only fully funded brand of goserelin acetate in the community and will be the only available brand in DHB hospitals subject to a 1% discretionary variance limit from 1 December 2016 until 30 June 2019.
• the subsidy for leuprorelin acetate (Eligard, Lucrin) listed in Section B of the Pharmaceutical Schedule will be reduced to the level of subsidy of goserelin acetate via the application of reference pricing from 1 December 2016. If the suppliers of leuprorelin acetate do not reduce their prices to match the level of subsidy for goserelin, this would result in a manufacturer’s surcharge applying to leuprorelin acetate medicines and goserelin acetate being the only fully funded GnRH analogue.
• a higher subsidy by endorsement for leuprorelin acetate will be available for children or adolescents who are unable to tolerate administration of goserelin acetate
• a higher subsidy by endorsement for leuprorelin acatate will also be available from 1 December 2016 until 28 February 2017 for patients who have outstanding repeat dispensings of leuprorelin acetate
• the 4 monthly dose presentation of leuprorelin acetate 30 mg solution in pre-filled syringes for injection (Eligard) will be delisted on 1 October 2016.

Read PHARMAC press release