Pharmac to continue Ventolin subsidy

Ventolin, shown at left with other asthma inhalers, will continue to be subsidised. File picture / Kenny Rodger

Asthma sufferers will heave a sigh of relief today following Pharmac's announcement that it will subsidise Ventolin inhalers for the next two years.

Pharmac had earlier said it would review the decision to support only Salamol salbutamol inhalers from July 1, after hundreds of complaints about the product.

It is estimated that more than 540,000 people -- 90 per cent of New Zealand's asthma sufferers -- use Ventolin to relieve their symptoms.

About 700 complaints about Salamol have been sent to the Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring, Otago University's government-contracted medicines surveillance programme.

Pharmac medical director Dr Peter Moodie said Pharmac had decided to subsidise Salamol and Ventolin at the same level of $4 per inhaler for the next two years.

"The decision to continue funding both inhalers is in response to concerns expressed by patients and would give people with asthma more time to consider the choices available.

"A number of people raised issues with Pharmac and Medsafe about Salamol, so we moved to address those concerns," Dr Moodie said.

"Salamol was found to be safe and effective by Medsafe in its original registration evaluation. We have asked Medsafe to retest the inhalers and this work is on-going."

Asthma and Respiratory Foundation medical director Dr Ian Town said the Pharmac backdown had been expected.

"It was predictable," he told NZPA.

Salamol has been funded in New Zealand since January 2005, and has sales of about 600,000 inhalers a month in the UK.

- NZPA