Pain relief drug funded

Pharmac will fund the pain relief drug Tramadol from June 1 to fill the gap left by the international withdrawal of painkillers containing the ingredient dextropropoxyphene.

Medsafe is withdrawing all drugs containing the ingredient, such as Paradex and Capadex, from August 1.

Pharmac medical director Peter Moodie said some people would prefer Tramadol because of its different side-effect profile.

The drug would also lead to cost savings of about $240,000 over three years because of its price compared with other painkillers.