OIA response: Vinorelbine

Source: Pharmac

31 March 2020 

[name and contact details redacted] 

Dear [name redacted] 

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION 

Thank you for your email of 3 March 2020, requesting information under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA).  You asked for answers to the following: 

• Why is it that two brands of vinorelbine injection 10mg/ml are listed in the pharmacological schedule?  Have there been past supply issues with either brand?
• Provide the 12-monthly volume of vinorelbine 10mg/ml, 1ml vial and vinorelbine 10mg/ml, 5ml vial funded by PHARMAC, provided by brand name for the previous 36 months.
• Provide the DHB cost of all IV infusion materials required to deliver a single treatment for a single patient. 

I have answered each of your questions in turn. 

Why is it that two brands of vinorelbine injection 10mg/ml are listed in the pharmacological schedule?  Have there been past supply issues with either brand? 

PHARMAC has an active contract in place for the Navelbine brand of vinorelbine arising from the 2014/15 annual tender round, but the Vinorelbine Ebewe brand was not delisted from Section B of the Pharmaceutical Schedule when the tender was awarded for Navelbine.  

In these circumstances, both Navelbine and Vinorelbine Ebewe are currently listed in Section B of the Pharmaceutical Schedule to provide DHBs with a claiming mechanism under the Combined Pharmaceutical Budget for either brand, should the need arise.  

We are not aware at this time of any issues with supply of Navelbine and our data indicates that no claims have been made for Vinorelbine Ebewe in recent years.

Provide the 12-monthly volume of vinorelbine 10mg/ml, 1ml vial and vinorelbine 10mg/ml, 5ml vial funded by PHARMAC, provided by brand name for the previous 36 months. 

This dispensing information is tabulated below. You will note that the data shows that no claims have been made for Vinorelbine Ebewe in recent years. 

Provide the DHB cost of all IV infusion materials required to deliver a single treatment for a single patient. 

Pursuant to section 18(g) of the OIA this part of your request is refused as PHARMAC does not hold this information and we have no grounds for believing that the information is held by another department, Minister of the Crown, organisation, or local authority.  

Please note you have the right, by way of complaint under section 28(3) of the OIA to an Ombudsman, to seek an investigation and review of our decision. 

We trust that this information answers your queries.  We are making our information more freely available, so we will now publish selected OIA responses (excluding personal details) on our website.  Please get in touch with us if you have any questions about this.

Yours sincerely 

Rachel Read

Policy Manager, Engagement and Implementation

¹ ECP is extemporaneously compounded prescription

MIL OSI