PHARMAC Allows Contraceptive Implants Without Prescription

Healthcare providers in New Zealand may give levonorgestrel subdermal contraceptive implants directly to patients without a prescription so they do not have to visit a pharmacy.

Under a proposal recently adopted by New Zealand’s Pharmaceutical Management Agency, the devices will be funded up to a limited amount by the agency.

The change is designed to provide women easier access to the implants — a form of long acting reversible contraception — and to encourage their use. — Jeff Kinney