Kedgley Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Kedgley Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:650;Page:18685] 
3.  
SUE KEDGLEY (Green) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Why has the Government not provided alternative medication for the more than 800 New Zealanders who have reported adverse reactions to a new formulation of the thyroid drug Eltroxin to the centre for adverse reactions monitoring? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON (Associate Minister of Health) 
 on behalf of the  
Minister of Health 
: As we announced yesterday the Government is looking at two new alternatives for people who are having adverse reactions to Eltroxin. We have been encouraging Pharmac and the ministry to act as quickly as possible. An announcement will be made by Pharmac and Medsafe at lunchtime tomorrow. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Does he agree with South Canterbury pharmacist Allan Campbell that the number of adverse reactions that have been reported to this medication make it “the worst in New Zealand’s drug history” with the number of people reporting reactions to the centre for adverse reactions monitoring increasing every day; if so why has it taken the Government 11 months to act after it first began to receive serious complaints of adverse reactions? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: I am advised that the adverse reactions in New Zealand remain somewhat of a mystery. Nowhere else in the world has the new formulation of Eltroxin caused this level of reaction. Mystery or not however we have been working to secure alternatives for new users and people who are suffering side effects. The Government has been encouraging the Ministry of Health and Pharmac to act swiftly. However this Government makes drug policy decisions based on evidential systems and processes and on health needs not on the politics of the situation. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Does he concede that alternative thyroid drugs have been available for the duration—the 11 months—that Medsafe does have a fast-track approval process that could have been used to get alternative medications quickly to people experiencing side effects and that by failing to act sooner hundreds of New Zealanders have been forced to endure debilitating side effects such as heart palpitations blurred vision depression and so forth; and by what date will he guarantee that an alternative subsidised medicine will be available for these people? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: My advice is that Pharmac with the support of the Ministry of Health and Medsafe has been asking the industry for a number of years now to offer an alternative to Eltroxin and no alternative has been offered on the market. Two are now being offered and announcements on this matter will be made tomorrow. I am assured that within a matter of weeks an alternative to Eltroxin will be on the market. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Is he concerned about the patronising comments that Medsafe has made publicly about those reporting side effects even implying that it was all in patients’ heads; and why does he think Medsafe blamed the patients dragged its heels and failed to respond for almost a year to what was clearly a very serious case of drug reaction? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: No I have no knowledge of those comments but what I do know is that Medsafe and Pharmac have been working for some time now to get an alternative to Eltroxin on the market and an announcement will be made tomorrow to show that it has achieved that.