Pills recall charges irk patients

By ANGELA GREGORY health reporter

Startled patients are annoyed they are being charged for prescriptions to replace recalled blood pressure pills.

About 50,000 people have been asked to return the drug Felo ER after the Ministry of Health found it could not rely on overseas clinical studies supporting its effectiveness.

The medicine is used to lower blood pressure and for stable angina.

The company which supplies Felo ER in New Zealand, Pacific Pharmaceuticals, has offered patients a free visit to their doctor so they can be prescribed an alternative medicine

But many patients were yesterday annoyed to discover they had to pay for the replacements.

Dr Michael Gunder, an Auckland University lecturer who takes Felo ER, said he thought it was a cheek.

"I only just got a full prescription of Felo the other day."

The president of the Pharmacy Guild, Richard Heslop, agreed that the first prescription for the new medication should be available free of charge.

"I think as a gesture Pacific Pharmaceuticals should have picked up the tab."

Mr Heslop said many patients in his South Waikato pharmacy had been taken aback at the prescription charge.

Some were eligible for free medication but most had to pay between $3 and $15 for the new prescription.

Mr Heslop said a medicine recall at patient level was relatively rare and community pharmacists were ready to advise patients on what to do about getting alternative treatment.

It was recommended that they see their doctor as soon as possible to transfer to new medication before they stopped taking Felo ER.

Mr Heslop said Medsafe had advised there was an acceptable supply of fully subsidised alternative medicines available.

Pacific Pharmaceutical yesterday reported that hundreds of people had called a hotline set up for patients using Felo ER.

Patients worried about the drug should call the freephone number 0800 18 18 16.

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