Therapeutic Goods (Serious Scarcity and Substitutable Medicine) (Nicorandil) Instrument 2025

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Therapeutic Goods Act 1989

The Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 (the Act) provides for the establishment and maintenance of a national system of controls for the quality, safety, efficacy or performance, and timely availability of therapeutic goods that are used in, or exported from, Australia. The Act also provides for a scheme allowing pharmacists to substitute certain medicine for other medicine if the Minister has declared there is a serious scarcity of the other medicine. The Act is administered by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (the TGA) within the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.

Subsection 30EK(1) of the Act provides that the Minister may, by legislative instrument, declare that there is a serious scarcity of specified medicine (the scarce medicine) across the whole or a specified part or parts of Australia, and specify the medicine (the substitutable medicine) that pharmacists are permitted to dispense in substitution for the scarce medicine and the circumstances in which that substitution is permitted.

Subsection 30EK(2) of the Act provides that the Minister may only make an instrument under subsection 30EK(1) if satisfied that the supply of the scarce medicine in Australia is not currently meeting the demand for that medicine for all of the patients in Australia who take that medicine. Alternatively, the Minister must be satisfied there is an imminent risk that supply of the scarce medicine in Australia will not, or will not be likely to, meet the demand for that medicine for all of the patients in Australia who take, or who may need to take, that medicine. In either case, there must be a significant risk of adverse health consequences for patients in Australia if they are not able to take the scarce medicine.

Subsection 30EK(3) of the Act provides that both the scarce medicine and the substitutable medicine must contain one or more substances included in Schedule 4 of the current Poisons Standard (i.e. prescription medicines) and must not contain any substances included in Schedule 8 to the current Poisons Standard (i.e. substances for which particular levels of control are required or recommended in order to avoid abuse, misuse or dependence).

The Therapeutic Goods (Serious Scarcity and Substitutable Medicine) (Nicorandil) Instrument 2025 (the Instrument) is a legislative instrument made under subsection 30EK(1) of the Act. It declares that there is a serious scarcity across Australia of specified medicine containing nicorandil, specifies the substitutable medicine that pharmacists are permitted to dispense in substitution for the scarce medicine, and specifies the circumstances in which they may do so.

The Instrument declares four registered medicines to be scarce medicines, i.e. that there is a serious scarcity of the medicine across the whole of Australia, being:

APO-NICORANDIL nicorandil 10 mg tablet blister pack, Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) registration number 277346;
IKOTAB nicorandil 10 mg tablet blister pack, ARTG registration number 218690;
APO-NICORANDIL nicorandil 20 mg tablet blister pack, ARTG registration number 277343; and
IKOTAB nicorandil 20 mg tablet blister pack, ARTG registration number 218689.

The Instrument also provides that where a pharmacist is unable to dispense the scarce medicine that has been prescribed to a patient, they may instead dispense the substitutable medicine in accordance with the Instrument. The substitutable medicines that are specified in the Instrument are medicines that are registered on the ARTG or subject to an approval under section 19A of the Act, are manufactured in the dosage form of a tablet and contain either 10 mg or 20 mg of nicorandil as the only active ingredient.

Background

Medicine shortages continue to occur for a number of reasons, ranging from shortages of raw materials to national disasters, manufacturing issues, logistical difficulties, or unexpected increases in demand.

When a medicine is unavailable, community pharmacists have limited scope to substitute another medicine without the prior approval of the prescribing doctor. A pharmacist may substitute a different brand of an equivalent dosage form and strength product, which may include an equivalent overseas-registered medicine approved for supply under section 19A of the Act. However, where there is no such equivalent available, the pharmacist cannot substitute a different medicine. If the pharmacist is unable to contact the prescriber to authorise a change to the prescription, the patient may be unable to obtain their medicine. This impedes timely availability of medicines and risks interruption to treatment, which can impact patient health and also cause stress and anxiety for patients.

In 2020, an informal arrangement was implemented between the Commonwealth and the States and Territories to allow pharmacist substitution of medicines that are in shortage, with patient consent. However, this informal arrangement was implemented through State and Territory legislation, and some State and Territory legislation allows for such provision to be made for pharmacist substitution only during a public health emergency. A need therefore arose for a more consistent and responsive pharmacist substitution scheme to help alleviate the effects of medicine shortages; one that allows substitution arrangements to be in place consistently across all States and Territories more quickly, and which reflects that medicine shortages may occur in a range of circumstances, not only where there is a public health emergency.

The Therapeutic Goods Amendment (2020 Measures No. 2) Act 2021 (the Amendment Act) amended the Act to introduce a pharmacist substitution scheme in Division 2C of Part 3-2 of the Act. This scheme was developed to help alleviate the effects of medicine shortages, by allowing substitution arrangements to be put in place swiftly and consistently across Australia, and without being limited to circumstances where there is a public health emergency.

Under this scheme, section 30EK of the Act provides for the making of a legislative instrument declaring a serious scarcity of specified medicines and specifying the substitutable medicine and permitted circumstances. Such an instrument operates in tandem with section 30EL of the Act, which provides that, where an instrument is in force under subsection 30EK(1) and a pharmacist is authorised to dispense the scarce medicine under a law of a State or Territory, a pharmacist may dispense the substitutable medicine to that person in the circumstances specified in the instrument, despite any law of a State or Territory prohibiting substitution.

Purpose

There is a current shortage across Australia of APO-NICORANDIL nicorandil 10 mg and 20 mg tablet blister packs, and IKOTAB nicorandil 10 mg and 20 mg tablet blister packs due to manufacturing issues. Whilst there may be improved availability of these medicines from November 2025, supply is not anticipated to return to normal until the end of March 2026.

Medicines containing the active ingredient nicorandil are used to treat chronic stable angina pectoris. As such, the current shortage of the scarce medicines is having, and is anticipated to continue to have, a significant risk of adverse health consequences for patients in Australia if they are unable to take the scarce medicine. Patients who suddenly stop taking their prescribed nicorandil are at risk of adverse events, including exacerbation of angina - which is likely to cause chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, sweating and nausea. Patients experiencing chest pain often seek urgent medical care, either by presenting to hospital emergency departments or accessing other health services such as ambulance transport. This increased demand could place additional strain on the Australian healthcare system. Additionally, the scarce medicine is typically prescribed for patients with refractory angina who have not responded to standard treatments. Therefore, its scarcity is likely to significantly impact the health and wellbeing of such patients.

The specified substitutable medicines are medicines that are registered on the ARTG or subject to an approval under section 19A of the Act, that are manufactured in the dosage form of a tablet and contain either 10 mg or 20 mg of nicorandil as the only active ingredient. The specified substitutable medicines contain the same active ingredient (nicorandil) and are in the same dosage form (tablets) as the scarce medicines. However, the substitutable medicines vary in strength, containing either twice the amount of active ingredient or half the amount of active ingredient as the scarce medicines.

The making of the Instrument enables pharmacists to substitute the specified substitutable medicine for the scarce medicine, without the patient affected by the unavailability of the scarce medicine needing to return to their prescriber for a new prescription. This means that patients who are prescribed the scarce medicine can access suitable treatment without delay, reducing the risk of interrupted treatment. This substitution is proposed to minimise the burden on health professionals and assist with timely access to medicine supply for patients.

The Instrument specifies a number of specific and general permitted circumstances that have the effect of confining the circumstances in which a pharmacist may substitute the substitutable medicine for the scarce medicine prescribed to a patient. These circumstances are designed to ensure that there are carefully determined safety-related parameters in place for patients.

Certain specific permitted circumstances are specified, including that the pharmacist must have advised the patient, or person acting on behalf of the patient, of:

the number of dose units of substitutable medicine that must be taken by the patient in substitution for the prescribed dose of scarce medicine, based on the dose unit equivalence in column 4; and
where cutting of the tablet is required to obtain the correct dose of the substitutable medicine—suitable instructions for cutting the tablet; and
the differences between the scarce medicine and the substitutable medicine.

The general permitted circumstances specified in the Instrument include, for example, that the patient (or person acting on behalf of the patient) has evidence of a valid prescription for the scarce medicine unless otherwise permitted by law, and that the prescriber has not indicated on the prescription for the scarce medicine that substitution is not permitted.

In accordance with subsection 30EK(2) of the Act, the rule-maker is satisfied that the supply of the scarce medicine in Australia is not currently meeting, or that there is an imminent risk that supply of the scarce medicine in Australia will not likely meet, the demand for that medicine for all of the patients in Australia who take that medicine. The rule-maker is also satisfied that there is a significant risk of adverse health consequences for patients in Australia if those patients are unable to take the scarce medicine. There are no other matters prescribed by the regulations for the purposes of paragraph 30EK(2)(c).

In accordance with subsection 30EK(3) of the Act, nicorandil is included in Schedule 4 to the current Poisons Standard, and the scarce medicines - APO-NICORANDIL nicorandil 10 mg and 20 mg tablet blister packs, and IKOTAB nicorandil 10 mg and 20 mg tablet blister packs – do not contain a substance in Schedule 8 to the current Poisons Standard.

In accordance with subsection 30EK(5) of the Act, the Instrument specifies the period for which the Instrument remains in force, being until 31 March 2026, unless sooner revoked. This reflects the period that the scarce medicine is expected to be the subject of a serious scarcity across Australia. If the shortage of the scarce medicine is resolved sooner or if safety concerns are identified, the Instrument may be revoked before its cessation date.

The Instrument will automatically be repealed at the start of 1 April 2026, unless repealed earlier.

Incorporated by reference

The Instrument incorporates by reference the Therapeutic Goods (Standard for Tablets, Capsules and Pills) (TGO 101) Order 2019 (TGO 101). TGO 101 is disallowable legislative instrument which constitutes a standard for the purposes of section 10 of the Act, and sets out minimum requirements for therapeutic goods that are tablets, capsules, or pills.

For the avoidance of doubt, in accordance with section 14 of the Legislation Act 2003 (the Legislation Act), TGO 101 is incorporated as in force or existing from time to time.

TGO 101 is freely available on the Federal Register of Legislation at www.legislation.gov.au.

Consultation

The TGA has been working closely with stakeholders since the relevant provisions in the Amendment Act commenced in February 2021 and has developed the general permitted circumstances in consultation with these groups. Stakeholders include (but are not limited to) the Australian Medical Association, relevant clinical professional colleges and societies, sponsor peak bodies, wholesalers, state and territory Chief Pharmacists, and pharmacy and pharmacist peak bodies.

In November 2025, the TGA consulted the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ), Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP), Heart Foundation, Australian Medical Association (AMA), Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA), Pharmacy Guild of Australia and Advanced Pharmacy Australia (AdPha), as well as state and territory health departments.

Consultation was undertaken to ensure the substitution protocol and associated permitted circumstances are appropriate. The TGA received 8 responses that were all supportive of the proposed Instrument, and feedback was incorporated into the Instrument.

Other details

Details of the Instrument are set out in Attachment A.

The Instrument is compatible with human rights and freedoms recognised or declared under section 3 of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011. A full statement of compatibility is set out in Attachment B.

The Instrument is a disallowable legislative instrument for the purposes of the Legislation Act and commences on 28 November 2025. The Instrument remains in force until 31 March 2026 and will be repealed at the start of 1 April 2026, unless repealed earlier.

Attachment A

Details of the Therapeutic Goods (Serious Scarcity and Substitutable Medicine) (Nicorandil) Instrument 2025

Section 1- Name

This section provides that the name of the instrument is the Therapeutic Goods (Serious Scarcity and Substitutable Medicine) (Nicorandil) Instrument 2025 (the Instrument).

Section 2 – Commencement

This section provides that the Instrument commences on 28 November 2025.

Section 3 – Authority

This section provides that the legislative authority for making the Instrument is section 30EK of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 (the Act).

Section 4 – Definitions

This section provides the definition of terms used in the Instrument. This section also notes that some expressions used in the Instrument, including ‘medicine’, ‘pharmacist’, and ‘registration number’, have the same meaning as in the Act.

Section 5 – Declaration of serious scarcity of medicine

This section provides a declaration that a serious scarcity of the medicines specified in column 2 of each item in the table in Schedule 1 exists across the whole of Australia.

Section 6 – Substitution of scarce medicine by pharmacists

This section provides that, for each item in the table in Schedule 1, a medicine specified in column 3 is a substitutable medicine that may be dispensed by a pharmacist in substitution for the scarce medicine specified in column 2, in the circumstances specified in column 5 of that item (the specific permitted circumstances) and in the table in Schedule 2 (the general permitted circumstances).

Section 7 – Period instrument in force

This section provides that the Instrument remains in force until 31 March 2026.

Section 8 – Repeals

This section provides that, unless repealed earlier, the Instrument is repealed at the start of 1 April 2026.

Schedule 1 – Scarce medicine, substitutable medicine, dose unit equivalence and specified permitted circumstances

This Schedule specifies the scarce medicine, substitutable medicine and specific permitted circumstances for the purposes of sections 5 and 6 of the Instrument.

Columns 2 and 3 of item 1 in the table in Schedule specify:

in item 1—the scarce medicine as being APO-NICORANDIL nicorandil 10 mg tablet blister pack (Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) registration number 277346) and IKOTAB nicorandil 10 mg tablet blister pack (ARTG registration number 218690), and the substitutable medicine as being a medicine that:
- is either a registered medicine or a medicine subject to an approval under section 19A of the Act;
- contains 20 mg nicorandil as the only active ingredient; and
- is manufactured in the dosage form of a tablet;
in item 2—the scarce medicine as being APO-NICORANDIL nicorandil 20 mg tablet blister pack (ARTG registration number 277343) and IKOTAB nicorandil 20 mg tablet blister pack (ARTG registration number 218689), and the substitutable medicine as being a medicine that:
- is either a registered medicine or a medicine subject to an approval under section 19A of the Act;
- contains 10 mg nicorandil as the only active ingredient; and
- is manufactured in the dosage form of a tablet.

Column 4 of the table in Schedule 1 specifies the equivalent dose of the scarce medicine and the substitutable medicine for the purposes of the permitted circumstances in column 5. In relation to item 1 of the table in Schedule 1, half a tablet of the substitutable medicine is equivalent to one tablet of the scarce medicine. In relation to item 2 of the table in Schedule 1, two tablets of the substitutable medicine are equivalent to one tablet of the scarce medicine.

Column 5 of the table in Schedule 1 sets out the specific permitted circumstances that apply in relation to each item. In relation to both items 1 and 2, the specific permitted circumstances are that the pharmacist must have advised the patient, or person acting on behalf of the patient, of:

the number of dose units of substitutable medicine that must be taken by the patient in substitution for the prescribed dose of scarce medicine, based on the dose unit equivalence in column 4; and
the difference between the scarce medicine and the substitutable medicine.

In relation to item 1, where cutting of the tablet is required to obtain the correct dose of the substitutable medicine, the pharmacist must also have advised the patient, or person acting on behalf of the patient, of suitable instructions for cutting the tablet.

Schedule 2—General permitted circumstances

This Schedule specifies the general permitted circumstances in which a substitution of medicine may occur. For the purpose of section 6, substitution may only occur where these circumstances exist.

The general permitted circumstances prescribed are as follows:

the patient, or person acting on behalf of the patient, has evidence of a valid prescription for the scarce medicine, unless otherwise permitted by law, i.e. there must be evidence of a prescription for the scarce medicine, which authorises the pharmacist to dispense the scarce medicine (if it were available) to the patient;

the pharmacist does not have access to the scarce medicine, i.e. the pharmacist must only substitute a medicine if the scarce medicine is not available to the pharmacist;

the prescriber has not indicated on the prescription for the scarce medicine that substitution is not permitted, i.e. if the prescriber has indicated on the prescription that substitution is not permitted, the pharmacist must not dispense the substitutable medicine as this may pose a significant safety risk to the patient. If a prescriber has indicated that substitution, even with a generic product, is not suitable then the substitutable medicine must not be dispensed;

the pharmacist has exercised professional judgement and determined that the patient is suitable to receive the substitutable medicine. This requires the pharmacist to exercise professional judgement in relation to the particular patient and their circumstances to assess whether substitution is appropriate for the particular patient. For example, if the pharmacist is of the view that the patient may be sensitive to an excipient ingredient in the substitutable medicine, then the pharmacist must not dispense the substitutable medicine to the patient;

the amount of substitutable medicine dispensed would result in the patient receiving sufficient medicine to ensure an equivalent dosage regimen and duration to that prescribed in relation to the scarce medicine. This is to ensure the pharmacist dispenses enough of the substitutable medicine to provide the patient with an equivalent treatment regimen (dosage and duration) as the scarce medicine;

the patient, or person acting on behalf of the patient, has consented to receiving the substitutable medicine. If a person does not wish to receive the substitutable medicine, then the pharmacist must not dispense the substitutable medicine;

the pharmacist makes a record of dispensing the substitutable medicine in substitution of the scarce medicine at the time of dispensing. This is to ensure that there is a record of the medicine that was actually dispensed to a patient, in case any safety concerns arise;

the pharmacist has an established procedure to notify the prescriber of the substitution at the time of, or as soon as practical after, dispensing the substitutable medicine. There are strong safety reasons for ensuring that the prescriber is aware of the particular medicine that has been dispensed to their patient. The prescriber would otherwise assume that the patient was dispensed the prescribed medicine and would not know about the substitution without notice of this from the dispensing pharmacist.

Attachment B

Statement of Compatibility with Human Rights

Prepared in accordance with Part 3 of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011

Therapeutic Goods (Serious Scarcity and Substitutable Medicine) (Nicorandil) Instrument 2025

This disallowable legislative instrument is compatible with the human rights and freedoms recognised or declared in the international instruments listed in section 3 of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011.

Overview of legislative instrument

The Instrument declares four registered medicines to be scarce medicines, i.e. that there is a serious scarcity of the medicine across the whole of Australia, being:

APO-NICORANDIL nicorandil 10 mg tablet blister pack, Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) registration number 277346;
IKOTAB nicorandil 10 mg tablet blister pack, ARTG registration number 218690;
APO-NICORANDIL nicorandil 20 mg tablet blister pack, ARTG registration number 277343; and
IKOTAB nicorandil 20 mg tablet blister pack, ARTG registration number 218689.

Background

Purpose

Certain specific permitted circumstances are specified, including that the pharmacist must have advised the patient, or person acting on behalf of the patient, of:

the number of dose units of substitutable medicine that must be taken by the patient in substitution for the prescribed dose of scarce medicine, based on the dose unit equivalence in column 4; and
where cutting of the tablet is required to obtain the correct dose of the substitutable medicine—suitable instructions for cutting the tablet; and
the differences between the scarce medicine and the substitutable medicine.

The Instrument will automatically be repealed at the start of 1 April 2026, unless repealed earlier.

Human rights implications

The Instrument engages the right to health in Article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (the ICESCR). Article 12 of the ICESCR promotes the right of all individuals to enjoy the highest attainable standards of physical and mental health including an obligation to take reasonable measures within available resources to progressively secure broader enjoyment of the right.

In General Comment No. 14: The Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health (Art. 12) (2000), the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights states that health is a ‘fundamental human right indispensable for the exercise of other human rights’, and that the right to health is not to be understood as the right to be healthy, but includes the right to a system of health protection which provides equal opportunity for people to enjoy the highest attainable level of health.

The Instrument takes positive steps to promote the right to health by facilitating improved access to the substitutable medicine, and to ameliorate the effects of the limited availability or unavailability of the scarce medicine across the Australian market. By enabling pharmacists to substitute these important medicines, the Instrument will support the right to health through helping Australian patients avoid the suffering that may otherwise occur due to an interruption in treatment for their condition.

Conclusion

The Instrument is compatible with human rights because it promotes the right to health in Article 12 of the ICESCR and otherwise does not raise any other human rights issues.

Administered by Department of Health, Disability and Ageing

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