Accuretic users annoyed at tainted meds muddle

Confusion continues as New Zealanders learn months after the rest of the world that a widely used blood pressure medication, Accuretic, has been contaminated with a carcinogenic.

Although Pharmac has been aware for a ‘‘few months’’, it didn’t announce that nitrosamine – a substance believed to increase the risk of cancer if ingested over a sustained period – had been detected in Accuretic until Thursday.

Accuretic was recalled in March in the United States and the United Kingdom, and in April in Australia and Canada.

Users are now being advised by Pharmac to consult their GPs about an alternative when their next prescription is due.

For Accuretic user Colin Barnett, 77, Pharmac’s suppression of the discovery of the contaminant, and the mixed advice he received from health professionals, is ‘‘beyond comprehension’’. Having read about the contamination in the news and being due a repeat prescription anyway, Barnett asked pharmacists at Unichem in Taupō what alternative medication was available.

‘‘Three of the pharmacists came out together and told me that it’s only the Accuretic coming out of Australia that’s contaminated and that I should keep taking it as I am.’’

Pharmac, however, said the contamination is a global issue.

‘‘I now know that what [the pharmacy] told me just wasn’t true, leaving me wondering how many other people who go to my pharmacy are continuing to take a medication that was recalled around the rest of the world months ago,’’ Barnett said.

The next day Barnett was asked to come back to the pharmacy to discuss alternative medications. ‘‘As far as I’m concerned, this confusion has all come from Pharmac. They’re playing games with people’s health.’’

Barnett is ‘‘very disappointed’’ that Pharmac hasn’t contacted Accuretic users directly.

‘‘I had to read about it myself in the news and then approach my local medical centre, but what if I didn’t read the news?’’

An Accuretic user from the Waikanae area, whom Stuff has agreed not to name, has also had conflicting messages from health professionals.

‘‘As recently as June 18, I was notified in writing by [the] local pharmacy that I would only be getting 10-day supplies at a time because of temporary stock allocation issues. Clearly pharmacies hadn’t been notified of the real reason for the shortage.’’

Over the weekend, the Accuretic user was told by the Waikanae Health Centre that since her prescription needed to be changed, she would be charged $35 for an urgent script.

Although Pharmac has claimed those who take Accuretic will be given a ‘‘free initial consultation from [their] primary care prescriber’’, the Waikanae Health Centre said ‘‘at this stage this has not been confirmed’’.

When asked why New Zealand was informed of the contamination months after the rest of the world, Pharmac’s director of operations, Lisa Williams, said it wanted to be able to ‘‘provide assurances to the New Zealand public that there was alternative treatment to switch to, rather than tell them there was a problem but no solution’’.

‘‘This confusion has all come from Pharmac. They’re playing games with people’s health.’’ Colin Barrett Accuretic user