Introduction

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This information is:

• An aid for clinicians about medicine use and dosage.
• Designed to be used in conjunction with Hospital HealthPathways and the New Zealand Formulary; or Canterbury Child Health Services guidance and the New Zealand Formulary for Children.
  • Individualising drug therapy, prescribing instructions for medicines and adverse drug reaction reporting advice applies to children and adults.
• Consistent with New Zealand medicines funding. For more information see www.pharmac.health.nz.
• Supporting safe and rational use of medicines. Further information is available from the Medicines Information Service.

The responsibility for prescribing medicines rests with the prescriber.

Antimicrobial Guidelines for Adults

• Set out by system, then infection, and lists treatments of choice.
• Dosage regimens apply to an "average adult".
• Dosing guidelines: gentamicin/tobramycin and vancomycin.

Prescribing Guidelines for Adults

• Information about renal elimination, metabolism, prescribing in the frail and elderly and in larger adults, drug interactions, polypharmacy toxicities, prescribing in pregnancy and lactation, therapeutic drug monitoring and adverse drug reactions.
• Dosing guidelines: Thiopurine Dosing Guideline in Immunosuppressive Therapy.

 Pharmacokinetic Table for Adults

• Condensed key pharmacokinetic data for commonly prescribed medicines.
• Data include oral bioavailability, half-life, and drug elimination.
• The data are for an "average adult". See the prescribing guidelines for how to adapt these to patient characteristics.

© Copyright 2024

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the copyright act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission.

Pink Book General Advice and Introduction

The Pink Book general advice and introduction pages are prepared by the Pharmacology Guidelines Committee; a group of Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand Waitaha Canterbury and Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand Te Tai o Poutini West Coast health professionals, facilitated by the Department of Clinical Pharmacology.

Email: medicines@cdhb.health.nz

Antimicrobial Guidelines

Prepared by the Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand Waitaha Canterbury Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee (AMSC).

Email: antimicrobials@cdhb.health.nz

Prescribing Guidelines and Pharmacokinetic Table

Prepared by the Pharmacology Guidelines Committee; a group of Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand Waitaha Canterbury and Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand Te Tai o Poutini West Coast health professionals, facilitated by the Department of Clinical Pharmacology.

Email: medicines@cdhb.health.nz

Correspondence and Enquiries

Disclaimer

Information contained in this book is provided to assist with medicine therapy and should be used in conjunction with pertinent clinical data. Final responsibility for drug use rests with the prescriber.

Topic Code: 90483

must be prescribed or recommended by a consultant.