KEY POINTS:
Medicine regulators have forced the recall of pain pills used by more than 1000 people a month, after the drugs were linked to deaths from liver failure.
The Ministry of Health yesterday revoked the registration of anti-inflammation Prexige 200mg and 400mg pills. But it allowed the 100mg version to remain in use - for osteoarthritis - with new warnings and recommended monthly liver checks.
The ministry's Medsafe division and the Medicines Adverse Reactions Committee reviewed new data on Prexige relating to reports of severe liver damage in patients taking at least 200mg a day.
Australia's medicines regulator de-registered the drug this month because of eight cases of liver failure associated with Prexige. Two of these patients died and two required liver transplants.
Prexige is not state-funded in New Zealand and only the 100mg and 400mg versions have been available.
The 400mg pills, sold to 1000-1100 patients a month, were licensed for the treatment of menstrual pain, acute pain and acute gout. The 100mg version, bought by up to 600 a month, was for these and osteoarthritis but is now restricted to the latter.
Medsafe's interim manager, Dr Stewart Jessamine, said patients taking the pills for osteoarthritis should contact their doctor about having blood tests to check their liver function. Those taking them for acute pain should contact their GP to discuss other painkillers.
The supplier of Prexige, Novartis, yesterday wrote to doctors telling them to contact patients taking the 400mg pills.
Medsafe said all anti-inflammatory medicines were known to cause liver damage and, rarely, liver failure.
Dr Jessamine said the review of Prexige evidence showed an association with liver damage that was greater than seen for other anti-inflammatory medicines, but severe damage at the 100mg a day dosage was rare.
Prexige, like Vioxx, is one of the Cox-2 inhibitor class of medicines. Vioxx was withdrawn from sale internationally in 2004 because of an increased risk of heart problems.
Cox-2 inhibitors were originally touted as preferable to older anti-inflammatory painkillers such as Voltaren because of a lower risk of ulcers and other stomach troubles.
