[Discussion] the New Zealand advice in here is 2 years out of date
the New Zealand advice in here is 2 years out of date. Making the case below, and I expect to lose some of it in the comments.
To save the first four comments: 2 years.
The national shortage database is a primary source with expected resolution dates attached. It is public, searchable, and consistently more accurate than reporting about it.
Registration by the therapeutic goods regulator establishes that a product may be supplied. Subsidy listing is a separate decision about public funding, with its own criteria and its own timetable.
Screenshot none of this. Read the whole thread, including the parts where I am told I am wrong.
best — the order this archive was captured in
Pharmacy-level availability and national supply are different questions: a pharmacy can be out while the wholesaler is not, and the pharmacist can check in minutes.
Rang three pharmacies for a private price and got three different numbers, all in the same city.
Asked the pharmacist to check the wholesaler and had a definite answer in about four minutes.
Compounded supply arrangements have changed materially in recent years. Advice predating that change describes a situation that no longer applies.
keep the script and the receipt for private health claims
Australia and New Zealand have different regulators, different funding bodies and different arrangements. An answer for one is not evidence about the other.
pharmacy stock and national supply are different questions
Personal importation provisions exist, are narrow, and carry conditions. Any summary of them here should be checked against the current official wording rather than a forum post.
private script pricing varies by pharmacy here too
PBS criteria are published and searchable
personal importation rules exist and are narrow
private script pricing varies by pharmacy here too
Disagreeing with this bit: that advice predates the change in compounded arrangements.