Dr Samantha Newman: Hawke’s Bay GP on the ongoing HRT shortage impacting women

Kiwi women have been forced to shop around or ration their existing HRT supply amid an ongoing shortage.

A new survey has revealed insights from the women affected by the dwindling supply, and Pharmac has warned the situation is likely to continue into 2025.

Hawke’s Bay GP Dr Samantha Newman says pharmacies are unable to keep a steady supply going, as much of the medication is unfunded.

"The really big issue here in New Zealand is - there's no other option. So it's either patches or nothing that's funded."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Forgiven do for CEO Now when new survey is revealing
the reality of the HRT shortage in New Zealand, the
survey is underweight at the moment. It's hearing experiences from
women who can't get the hands on these hormone replacement
therapy patches. They say some of them are saying they
have to cut down their remaining patches to ration them.
Some are getting really desperate. The global supply of estrogen
patches has been running out for a while now and

(00:21):
farm ach reckon this is going to continue into twenty
twenty five. Doctor Samantha Newman is a GP high Samantha
cra Why is there such a shortage?

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Oh well, I think fundamentally there is a less that's
been made, so it is worldwide. But the really big
issue here in New Zealand is that there's no other options.
So it's either transdermal patches or nothing that's funded. So
immediately it's unaffordable for many of our community, many of
our users and those that need transfermal estrogen. And also

(00:55):
because it's unfunded, pharmacies aren't allowed to stock it, and
us and my colleagues as prescribers, we're not as familiar
with it, and we've never had guidance in how to
use it and to be able to really confidently explain
to our patients to ensure they have good health outcomes.

Speaker 1 (01:12):
Why is lis of it being made.

Speaker 2 (01:15):
Well, they say, is because there's less yams. But I
think it's a bit of a combination of a production
line issue. Would you say gams, Yeah, yeah, it's made
from yams.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
Who do okay, so they have a shortage of gams.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
Yeah, yeah, and there's only I was there's one the
main the main factories are in Europe and yeah, so
that's one of the one of the issues, and because
of the increased uptake in it. But I still think
there's a disconnect in that. People often think it's just
you know, it's an elixir for health that helps you

(01:53):
age well. But actually what I really want, what I
see every day is women telling me they got their
life back. It's helped people re engage in the workforce,
it's helped their relationships, and we know also it does
have health benefits too. But actually, really interestingly on my
survey that minimal people like less than one percent are

(02:15):
on it for health benefits.

Speaker 1 (02:19):
Women if they can't get a hold of the patches.
Can they not use estrogen pessaries or something like that.

Speaker 2 (02:25):
Well, that's another issue together. So there is oral estrogen,
but it's a bit it's not as safe, so that
automatically some people can't use it. There are some specific
ways of delivering estrogen systemically throughout the whole body, but
at the moment, the traditional ways in New Zealand are
actually for genital health, so not for kind of general

(02:49):
hormone replacement therapy. It's pelvic and vaginal health for estrogen pessaries,
so it doesn't do the same thing as the patches
and the gels do all over the body.

Speaker 1 (02:58):
I saw ticks coming from somebody earliers saying that they
had a whole bunch of the HRT patches somewhere down
country in the South Island. Is there parts of the
country that have got stockpiles?

Speaker 2 (03:08):
Ah, I think I just don't know what to believe.
I think everybody doesn't really know where they're at. There's
no consistency, and one minute somebody has some one minute
somebody has some coming in or going out, and it
just changes. So it's really unreliable and for a lot
of these users who are really vulnerable because he shouldent

(03:29):
impacts the brain so significantly, it just further compounds this
sphere and uncertainty.

Speaker 1 (03:35):
Yeah, saman that listen, Thank you for you time. Really
appreciate it's meant The Newman GP. For more from Hither
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