Pharmaco (NZ) Ltd welcomes the start of PHARMAC funding
for Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) medication Estrogel®,
which begins today, Friday 1st November 2024. The funding
means thousands of Kiwi women now have access to this simply
applied gel that can help manage some of the symptoms of
menopause.
Available
with a doctor’s prescription, Estrogel is a Hormone
Replacement Therapy that is applied to the skin once a day.
It contains the hormone estrogen, to help with estrogen
deficiency symptoms in post-menopausal women at least six
months after their last natural
period.
Estrogel’s funding adds an option for
women who have been using trans-dermal estrogen patches,
which have been subject to a global
shortage.
Pharmaco has been selected to
distribute Estrogel exclusively throughout New
Zealand.
This news follows PHARMAC’s funding
of micronised progesterone Utrogestan® in December
2022.
Christine Ivers, Head of
Digital and Marketing at Pharmaco (NZ)
Limited, says this latest funding announcement is great news
for Kiwi women, particularly as demand has tripled for
estrogen sources over the last few years with many more
women going onto HRT (source*).
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“Estrogel
is the only funded gel on the market, and is now available
to women with a prescription. It is so easy to apply, just
requiring a quick gel swipe down your arm once a day, and
then it is invisible once applied. We encourage women to
speak to their GPs if they think they are experiencing
symptoms of menopause. They can then explore how
newly-funded medicines such as Estrogel might help benefit
their quality of life.”
Dr. Linda Dear from
from Menodoctor
says: “This funding is a huge step forward for Kiwi women.
Widening access and choices available to women using HRT is
always a positive step. It shows that women’s health
around menopause matters here in
Aotearoa.”
“The funding solves two major
stresses that have been causing huge anxiety for lots of
women here. Firstly, the stress of not being able to source
estrogen patches due to global supply problems. And
secondly, the stress of the extra financial costs involved
in obtaining a gel. This funding gives women more options
and lowers the cost barrier. It will also help doctors
become more aware of the existence of estrogen gels, and to
offer them to women as another HRT
option.”
Her support was echoed by
Christchurch endocrinologist and noted menopause expert,
Dr. Anna Fenton, who says:
“This
funding is welcome news for New Zealand women who have had
access to few funded estrogen treatments. Women requiring
patch estrogen therapy have had to manage their way through
four years of supply issues with no obvious relief in sight.
This has created enormous anxiety and difficulties for women
and their medical providers.”
“New Zealand still
has relatively limited options for estrogen therapy compared
to Australia, the UK, Europe and the USA. Widening the
options and choice in the market can also potentially
support many women who cannot take oral estrogen or who have
had adverse reactions to or issues with access to patch
therapy.”
*source: https://pharmac.govt.nz/medicine-funding-and-supply/medicine-notices/oestradiol
“Demand
for oestradiol patches continues to grow at pace – from
1.3 million patches dispensed in 2020/21 to over 4.7 million
patches in 2023/24. Demand is expected to continue to
increase.”
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