Medsafe (New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority, Ministry of Health)
Is Exenatide legal in New Zealand?
Not approved as a medicine here.
Medsafe's product records show that Byetta (first approved 31 May 2007) and Bydureon (first approved 8 September 2016) once had consent, but both are now listed as 'approval lapsed'. Medsafe says a lapsed product needs new consent before it can return to the market. Medsafe's data sheet index, revised 29 September 2026, has no exenatide entry, and the October 2026 Pharmaceutical Schedule lists no funded exenatide product. Exenatide is classified as a prescription medicine. Any supply without Medsafe consent would rely on the narrow exemptions in the Medicines Act, such as a prescriber obtaining an unapproved medicine for a named patient.
Last verified 2026-09-29 · how we verify
Exenatide elsewhere
Sources (5)
- 01Product/Application Search (product and application records searched by ingredient on 29 September 2026)Medsafe (New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority) · 2026-07-07 · accessed 2026-09-29
- 02Data sheets index (medicines with consent to be distributed in New Zealand)Medsafe (New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority) · 2026-09-29 · accessed 2026-09-29
- 03Pharmaceutical Schedule, October 2026 (Volume 33)Pharmac (Pharmaceutical Management Agency) · 2026-10 · accessed 2026-09-29
- 04Medicines Classification Database (Schedule 1, Medicines Regulations 1984)Medsafe (New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority) · 2026-09-25 · accessed 2026-09-29
- 05Medicines Act 1981 (version as at 10 July 2026)New Zealand Parliamentary Counsel Office · 2026-07-10 · accessed 2026-09-29