Drug firm pulls out of NZ heart-medicine trial

By MARTIN JOHNSTON

New Zealand has missed out on a trial of a new heart medicine that would have involved over 1000 patients because of a company's failure to win Government drug subsidies.

Servier Laboratories, based in France, will also stop giving literature and symptom diaries to diabetes patients in February.

That is when Servier's sole remaining drug in New Zealand - Diamicron, taken by about 19,000 diabetes sufferers - ceases to be subsidised by Government agency Pharmac.

Servier says it has spent more than $30 million on research projects in New Zealand in the past five years. It planned to spend more than $12 million over three years on a clinical trial of a cardio-vascular drug involving more than 1000 patients.

But Servier Australia managing director Barry Young said the company was unable to justify any future research in New Zealand.

"Our commercial relationship [with Pharmac] is in its final death throes," he said.

Pharmac has struck a deal with Canadian-owned Apotex, which will be the sole supplier of a generic version of Diamicron. The deal saves taxpayers $2.7 million over three years.

"From our perspective," said Pharmac chief executive Wayne McNee, "Servier are making a commercial decision as to where is the best place for them to do research."

He said Apotex had spent $3 million on expanding its Auckland laboratory. Pharmac helped Diabetes New Zealand provide patient literature, and other resources were available.

Further reading
nzherald.co.nz/health