Sixth death after epilepsy drug switch

A sixth death has been linked to Pharmac’s brand switch of epilepsy drugs.

The death of the 35-year-old woman was reported to the Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring this week, prompting Epilepsy NZ to call for it to be included in a joint coronial inquiry.

The inquiry will look into five deaths which may be linked to the drug Logem, a generic alternative to brands of lamotrigine which were previously funded by Pharmac.

About 11,000 Kiwis with epilepsy were forced to switch medication following a Pharmac drive to save $30 million over five years.

CEO of Epilepsy NZ, Ross Smith, said hundreds of people had reported adverse reactions to the brand switch.

‘‘Many who had their epilepsy under control are now having to deal with seizures that in some cases have caused serious injuries.

‘‘This is an unacceptable risk to be forced upon an already vulnerable community of people and we call on the Minister to intervene and investigate.’’

The death of a young dad days before Christmas prompted renewed calls for a ministerial inquiry by the National Party and Epilepsy NZ.

Epilepsy NZ was ‘‘very concerned’’ this suggestion had not been taken up by the Minister of Health.

Smith said the brand switch should never have happened: ‘‘Medsafe warned against it and Pharmac ignored their advice.

‘‘The regulatory processes we have which are supposed to keep New Zealanders safe don’t seem to be working.’’

Speaking on Radio New Zealand’s First Up yesterday morning, advocate Bella Gubay said she had been in contact with the family of the sixth victim.

They said the woman’s seizures had been under control before the Logem switch, Gubay said on the programme.

‘‘She was switched to Logem late last year. And I think the key thing with this again is this poor woman was controlled before she switched to Logem. Her seizures were controlled and we’re now looking at a sixth person dying.’’

Medsafe’s Chris James said they currently had ‘‘extremely limited information’’ on the latest case. The Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring was seeking further details from the person who submitted the report.

James said people who had switched brands and were having problems should see their doctor as soon as possible.

Those who have already switched brands and are stable should not change brand again, he said.