Almost 36,000 Kiwis taking blood pressure medicine Accuretic need to change treatment after contamination detected

Almost 36,000 Kiwis taking a blood pressure medicine will need to change treatments after contamination was found in the global supply.

Pharmac said the supply of quinapril with hydrochlorothiazide (branded as Accuretic) will be disrupted due to the detection of a contaminant called nitrosamine.

Nitrosamines are believed to raise a small cumulative risk of cancer when taken long-term and while the extent of the risk is unknown, cautious acceptable limits of nitrosamines have been set globally.

Varying levels of nitrosamines can also be found in potable water, grilled foods, vegetables, and dairy products, as well as medicines.

The medicine's contamination is a global issue, with voluntary recalls happening including in Australia, Europe, US and Canada.

Pharmac's Director of Operations Lisa Williams said people taking Accuretic should continue their treatment and consult their doctor about an alternative treatment when their prescription is next due.

"We want to ensure, first and foremost, that patients can continue to access funded treatment," Williams said. "Medsafe has advised us that there is a very low risk to people who are taking Accuretic, and they should continue with their treatment because the risk associated with suddenly halting blood pressure medication exceeds that presented by the contaminant."

"Pharmac is asking healthcare professionals to talk with their patients about changing medicines for their blood pressure, and we are grateful to professional bodies including General Practice New Zealand, the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, the Pharmacy Guild, and the Pharmaceutical Society for helping us spread the word to their members."

Williams said Pharmac has been working with the pharmaceutical industry company Pfizer over the past few months to try and secure an alternative option, but there is currently no direct substitute available for New Zealanders to take.

"Unfortunately, because it's a global issue, no alternative brand is available in sufficient volumes for New Zealand and that can be verified as being free from contamination," Williams said.

"This means there is currently no acceptable direct chemical substitute for New Zealanders taking this medicine."

Pharmac said losartan with hydrochlorothiazide would be an appropriate alternative for Kiwis to change treatment to.

"Our expert clinical advice is that losartan with hydrochlorothiazide would be an appropriate, currently funded and Medsafe approved, alternative for most patients," Williams said.

"Pharmac has received assurances from its supplier, Teva, that there is sufficient stock of losartan with hydrochlorothiazide to accommodate patients transitioning from Accuretic.

"There is also enough of the other alternative funded angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) to meet the additional demand from people changing from Accuretic."

Pharmac are asking clinicians to move their patients to alternative medicines as soon as possible and will cover the GP and prescription fee for patients.

"We know that our healthcare sector is currently under a huge amount of strain and that changing this many people to alternative treatments will add to that strain," Williams said.

"We are asking clinicians to move their patients to alternative medicines as soon as possible, and we really appreciate the support that we know that both clinicians and pharmacists will provide to their patients.

"Pharmac is committed to working closely with healthcare professionals, patient support groups, and other key stakeholders to make this change as easy as possible for patients, including covering the cost of the GP clinic visit and prescription fees."