NEW Zealand's Medsafe regulator has confirmed that all codeine-containing medicines will be classified as prescription medicines effective from 05 Nov this year.
The change, foreshadowed earlier this year (PD 29 Jul), is in line with a recommendation from the NZ Medicines Classification Committee on 10 Oct 2019, and follows a similar move in Australia which became effective in Feb 2018.
The Committee's chair Andi Shirtcliffe said "people need access to knowledge and advice from their health professionals when choosing medication to treat their pain".
The implementation was planned for earlier this year, but NZ's response to COVID-19 has led to the delay, with Medsafe continuing to work with industry representatives and other stakeholders.
"I know during the planning for this change, the Medicines Classification Committee has listened to concerns about the availability of alternatives and potential for increased workloads on health professionals," according to Medsafe Group Manager Chris James.
"Reports from Australia suggest those concerns haven't been realised. It's important for people to know there are alternatives available for your pain management - both over the counter and as prescription medicines," he added.
Australia's move to up-schedule low-dose codeine products was controversial, with the Pharmacy Guild and other industry groups claiming it had done little to tackle addiction (PD 04 Oct 2019).
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