TOPIC: Notes for New Zealanders bringing in meds

I just returned to NZ from Hobart with my sofosbuvir/ledipasvir bought through the Buyers Club and here are a few observations about NZ airport procedures for anyone about to do the same.
Firstly, the final stage of immigration: biosecurity/customs looked a little daunting at Wellington airport but they just waved me through after I explained the dried meat I had declared was Australian and unopened.
On the arrival form, there is no tick box to declare any prescription medicine, one is only asked if they are carrying any dangerous or prohibited items. I found this a relief for some reason - I had my prescription from Dr Freeman and a letter from a NZ specialist supporting it but I was not looking forward to explaining the drugs' background if asked. The FixHepC people had explained that as a patient carrying my medicine, I was in a very different legal situation from someone importing via the post/courier, where patent protection is a potential issue. My script and letter referred to the generic names only.
Hobart was a great place to spend a week and fares are reasonable despite the need for a Melbourne/Sydney connection. So while it might be tempting to have a mate post it to you, I would recommend a personal pickup for these valuable meds. Mine arrived when expected but there could easily be a few days' delay given the various stages of the process.

Hi Chapel,

Great news I'm so glad it all went smoothly. I'd say by now you're day 2 on your meds and not far from clearing. This is very encouraging for all people from NZ and reasonably cost effective to pick up from Tassie. I wish you the best of luck. Em

Thanks Em. No, I haven't started taking the meds yet. I'm seeing a nurse linked to a specialist next Friday and I think they want to do some baseline blood tests. Of course I'm keen to get started but I'll play it their way, the specialist has been pretty helpful so far and they are putting me in the public system.

Hi, I,m trying import from source but am having trouble finding a supportive GP or Specialist to get a prescription and supporting letter. Would you be happy to share some info on this or where you are being treated.

Gary
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Hi Gary,
I carried my meds back and I already had a prescription from Dr Freeman (through GP2U via a skype appointment) when I approached my specialist for a back-up letter of support, which he gave me. As I know now, this was not necessary for personal carriage as the Australian script is sufficient - courier/mail imports do need a NZ script according to Medsafe.
I don't think my specialist would be ready to support imports via mail/courier if that is what you intend and I don't want to upset him with such a referral.
I chose the specialist through google and checking he was not attached to the hep c foundation. I don't know your situation, but are the meds available thru Buyers Club here or the Sydney pharmacy group mentioned on Greg Jefferys' site not suitable for you? And surely you could fly there to pick them up, bypassing the need for a NZ script? Once you have the meds, I am sure you could get a specialist to manage treatment. And with Buyers Club, much of the drugs' background/supply chain can be seen online.

To see a gastroenterology specialist in NZ, you need to be referred by a GP. I chose my specialist by googling hep C specialists in my area and then asked my GP for a referral. The same GP had earlier reacted with horror when I said I needed a script to support an import, and started talking about fake Viagra. These drugs are new in NZ and even the specialist had never dealt with them. I was able to reassure him about the drugs' supply chain by talking about the Hobart operation and referring to this site.
In the end, his letter of support read: ``Mr XXX is my patient for whom I have recommended treatment with Sofosbuvir 400mgs daily and Ledipasvir 90mgs daily for a period of three months. If you have any questions, please feel free to ring me.''

I have been with a hospital specialist pre and post transplant for over 10yrs and his reaction was similar to your description in that he will not prescribe anything not certified by Medsafe. I guess it's time to renew the passport. Thanks for your advice.

Sofosbuvir/Ledipasvir are prescription medicines on the Medsafe database, I see Daclatasvir does not show up. Were you maybe asking the specialist to prescribe something branded like Twinvir/Hepcinat?

Hi, how did you get your skype appointment? Looking on the GP2U site I cannot see any appointment times for Dr Freeman only a GP. Is it necessary to consult the GP first?

Dr Freeman is a GP but no, you don't need to see Dr Dudgeon first. I don't know why there are no spots for Dr Freeman. He is the only one there writing Hep C scripts as far as I know. You could contact their executive assistant Rusty Dickey via skype - he's Rusty @GP2U - Or their phone number will be on here somewhere.

Hi, I was importing sofosbuvir and daclatasvir directly from Mesochem in China and then having the API's capsulated in Auckland. I was told I am definitely not the first, so people are getting scripts somewhere in NZ

Well I wish good outcomes for all but a script for Daclatasvir - not yet approved in NZ as a prescription medicine it seems - sounds like a tall order, although of course possible. Maybe people getting daclatasvir APIs here have just taken a chance without a NZ script?
www.medsafe.govt.nz/consumers/miet/importmedicines.asp

My specialist wrote a script out for daclatasvir but I didn't need it as just come straight through within a week from mesochem,$300us $160nz to compound and dispense .i did three months of sofosbuvir and ribavirin from India ,no virus after 6weeks,as I have 1a non responder and daclatasvir became available I decided to do the last three months with sofosbuvir and dac 16wk viral load bloods tomorrow 2025

Hi, glad to hear of your success. I have been in touch with Rachel at Mesochem and was told I would need a script. Maybe I should talk to someone else, or did you just order from Alibaba or something like that?

A nurse told me today of other successful imports of Mesochem APIs to NZ; one was stopped at the border and they called the specialist who had prescribed it, then let it through.
She said the teams in the liver clinics in the main centre hospitals were generally supportive of any genuine treatment and their specialists were worth a try, although in some cases you need to live within their zone. I don't know whether the specialist would expect to manage your treatment if they wrote a script for someone.
She had heard of Greg Jefferys from patients.
She said Daclatasvir was prescribable in NZ despite it not appearing on the Medsafe online list.