Pharmac to fund another brand of ADHD medication

Pharmac has announced it will fund another brand of methylphenidate from October, in order to help improve supply and provide more treatment options for people with ADHD.

The newly funded medication is the Rubifen LA (long-acting) brand of methylphenidate - a generic version of the already funded Ritalin LA brand, available in the same strengths (10mg, 20mg, 30mg, and 40mg), as well as an additional 60mg strength.

Pharmac's director of pharmaceuticals Geraldine MacGibbon said it been hard for people and their families to not be able to access the medicines they relied on.

"People told us how stressful and disruptive these supply issues have been, and that having more options would help make things more manageable day to day," MacGibbon said.

Global supply issues and rising demand had affected all brands and strengths of methylphenidate in New Zealand since 2023, caused by increasing global demand and manufacturing constraints. Those pressures were expected to continue throughout 2026.

Pharmac funded lisdexamfetamine in late 2024 and Methylphenidate Sandoz XR in late 2025. There are now 8 brands of methylphenidate funded for New Zealanders.

The proposed date from which Rubifen LA would be available was 1 July this year, but the supplier had told Pharmac it needed more time, and the new date would be 1 October.

The decision also included funding for people with narcolepsy, although this was not an approved use for this brand, in-line with the funding of other methylphenidate brands.