NEW Zealand's Medsafe regulator has encouraged pharmacies to submit licence renewal applications at least one month before expiry of their current licence, after reports that some pharmacies have refused to dispense prescriptions due to delays in renewal processes.
Medsafe said it had been "working hard to clear outstanding licences and improve processing times," confirming that during Aug 93% of licences were processed within 45 working days with an average of 23 days, while in Sep this was shortened to 19 working days.
The agency confirmed that all NZ pharmacies now hold a current licence, apart from two exceptions related to compliance.
Late applications cause delays to all licences, Medsafe warned, because it needs to prioritise late applications to ensure that the pharmacy can continue to operate.
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