Anti-psychotic drugs bill balloons to $23m

By FRANCESCA MOLD health reporter

Government spending on new anti-psychotic drugs designed to reduce damaging side-effects for patients has rocketed to $23 million.

The Government's pharmaceutical agency, Pharmac, yesterday revealed the dramatic increase at the launch of its annual review in Auckland.

Almost 10,000 New Zealanders are being treated with the new anti-psychotic drugs, which reduce debilitating side-effects such as headaches, drowsiness and nausea.

Spending on the drugs, which include Clozapine, Olanzapine, Quetiapine and Risperidone, has increased from $4.7 million in 1998 to $23.1 million this year.

Pharmac general manager Wayne McNee said the organisation was pleased that it had exceeded Ministry of Health recommendations for the number of people who should be given access to newer and improved anti-psychotic agents.

At yesterday's launch, Pharmac said its overall spending had increased by $20 million to $646 million in the last financial year.

The agency saved $26.6 million as the result of tendering and other commercial deals, most of which would be invested in new pharmaceuticals.

Pharmac said the largest portion of its spending - $130 million - went on treatments for high cholesterol, ulcers, depression and diabetes.

It also revealed new research that showed a 10 per cent drop in prescriptions for antibiotics.

The research found a 37 per cent drop in patients' expectations that they would be given an antibiotic for a cold or flu.

Pharmac medical director Peter Moodie said the drop was partly the result of a campaign, supported by doctors, that aimed to cut antibiotic use to reduce the risk of superbugs developing.

Dr Moodie also criticised the "magic bullet" approach to the marketing of pharmaceuticals in New Zealand.

He said high-profile marketing of alleged breakthrough medications raised false expectations, particularly in the most vulnerable people.

"Coming to terms with any illness requires recognition of one's own mortality. The sudden mirage of a lifebelt can be unhelpful - both to the patients and their relatives."

Dr Moodie said the media had to be careful not to be caught up in the promotion of unproven new medications.

He said Pharmac had been especially concerned about a number of television programmes and advertisements this year. It had complained to the Broadcasting Standards Authority over a Holmes show on teenage acne. It touted the effectiveness of a drug known as Roaccutane, without mentioning that it can cause severe deformities in unborn babies.