Published: 17 March 2021
Revised: 30 March 2022
Committees
Reclassification of Pholcodine
The Minister of Health’s delegate has made the decision to reclassify pholcodine from pharmacy only to restricted (pharmacist only).
This is following advice from both the Medicines Adverse Reactions Committee, and the Medicines Classification Committee, and is to manage risks associated with the use of these medicines. Throughout the reclassification decision-making process, Medsafe has been in communication with the sponsors of these medicines and professional bodies to take into consideration any feedback on both the proposed change and its implementation timeframe.
The rationale behind the recommendation and finalised minutes for the 64th and 65th meetings can be found on the MCC Minutes webpage.
The gazette notice will be published on or around 1 December 2022. Key dates are:
| Key date | Action to be taken |
|---|---|
| 1 Dec 2022 | Gazette publication Any pholcodine containing medicine must be sold as a restricted (pharmacist only) medicine and held in the pharmacist only section of pharmacies. |
| 1 Mar 2023 | All stock at wholesale level must have updated labelling that meets restricted (pharmacist only) requirements. |
| 1 Jun 2023 | All stock at retail (pharmacy) level must have updated labelling that meets restricted (pharmacist only) requirements. |
Contact details
For further information about the reclassification of pholcodine, please contact the Secretary of the Medicines Classification Committee (email: committees@health.govt.nz).
