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A drug which has been recalled after killing two Australians and causing two others to require liver transplants is also prescribed to thousands of Kiwis - but not in the same dosage.
Up to 60,000 Australian users of the osteoarthritis drug Prexige were yesterday warned to stop taking it immediately, but New Zealand authorities say the risk is not the same here.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the TGA took less than 24 hours to deregister Prexige and order a recall after it reviewed eight cases in which people had suffered severe liver damage.
Two of the eight died and two needed liver transplants after using the drug.
Two of the eight cases emerged in March and the other six were revealed in the past six weeks.
But last night New Zealand authorities said they would await Australian data before deciding if they will recall the pain relief drug.
Dr Stuart Jessamine from Medsafe said only "a few thousand" Kiwis were taking the drug because it is not a subsidised medicine here.
"In New Zealand, most people are taking the drug for 10 days or less and in lower doses than Australia. It seems that duration is the key here for what is a risk," he said.
"Because it's not funded we have very few people using it long term."
Jessamine told the Herald on Sunday that he would seek information from Australian doctors before deciding what action should be taken and whether a recall was warranted.
"You need a reason to recall a drug and natural justice means you need more than just a news report." He said anyone taking the drug who was concerned should call their doctor.
Prexige is a Cox 2 inhibitor - a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Vioxx, also a Cox 2 inhibitor, was voluntarily recalled worldwide by its manufacturer Merck in 2004 due to adverse health conditions in patients.
Regulators around the world have been watching this class of drugs closely since the Vioxx scare.
The manufacturer of Prexige, Novartis, said there would "no comment" on the drug's supply.
