28 May 2025
Gerald
Via email:
fyirequest30903[email address]
Tēnā koe Gerald
Request for information: ADHD medication shortages
Thank you for your request dated 6 May 2025 under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act) for information relating to ADHD medication shortages. I have responded to each part of
your request below:
1. What is the reason for the constant shortage of Concerta in New Zealand?
2. Is this due to the budget constraints?
Methylphenidate (Concerta) supply shortage
This supply issue is not related to the amount of funding that Pharmac receives. Pharmac is
working closely with suppliers and clinicians to manage an ongoing, global issue affecting
methylphenidate. Methylphenidate is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity (ADHD) and
narcolepsy. One of the brands of methylphenidate is Concerta.
Rising demand for methylphenidate coupled with overseas manufacturing issues have led to
ongoing problems with supply of the medicine. Australia and the United Kingdom are also
experiencing supply issues with methylphenidate.
These issues are likely to continue this year. There may be periods in 2025 where people wil
not be able to get the brand of methylphenidate they normal y use. There may also be times
where people have to wait for more stock to arrive at their local pharmacy.
I acknowledge the frustration and anxiety that this supply shortage is causing. We are closely
monitoring this situation and are working hard to find solutions and alternatives for people
with ADHD who are affected by these shortages. We are engaging with other suppliers to
see if there are different brands of methylphenidate we could get into New Zealand. We are
also looking at alternative chemicals that could be funded to give more treatment options for
people with ADHD.
For further updates to supply, please refer to the methylphenidate page on the Pharmac
website here:
www.pharmac.govt.nz/medicinefundingandsupply/medicinenotices/methylphenidate.
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This webpage is updated regularly with stock levels to help clinicians and patients know what
is available.
3. Please supply emails, correspondence to other agencies with regards to these
shortages.
On 14 May 2025 we contacted you in accordance with section 18B of the Act, as part 3 of
your request was for a very large volume of information and may be refused under section
18(f) as it could not be made available without substantial col ation or research. A preliminary
search in Pharmac’s email servers identified 6,280 emails associated with the terms
“methylphenidate + supply”. Similarly, a search with the terms “Concerta + supply” produced
3,660 emails.
To date, we have not received a refined request from you. Therefore, part 3 of your request
has been refused under section 18(f) of the Act, as the information requested cannot be
made available without substantial col ation or research.
We are happy to work with you on a refined request in the future.
We trust that this information answers your queries. Please note, you have the right to make
a complaint to the Ombudsman about our response to your OIA, under section 28(3) of the
OIA. Details of
how to make a complaint are on the Ombudsman’s website.
To make information more freely available, we publish selected OIA responses (excluding
personal details) on our website. Please get in touch with us if you have any questions about
this.
Nāku noa, nā
Oliver Whitehead
Team Leader, Government Services
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