Media Release

17 August 2007

Media Update: Safety data for the anti-inflammatory medicine Prexige under review

The Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority, Medsafe, is continuing to review all of the available safety data for the anti-inflammatory medicine Prexige following reports of liver problems in Australia.

Medsafe is looking at safety data to determine whether the risks associated with Prexige outweigh its benefits in the New Zealand population.

Information and data is being reviewed from the World Health Organisation (WHO); the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the United Kingdom; the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA); and the pharmaceutical company Novartis.

Medsafe is in discussion with Novartis. A further media update about Prexige will be provided early next week about what, if any, action needs to be taken.

If patients taking Prexige are concerned about the safety of this product, they should contact their doctor. Patients should only take Prexige according to their doctor's instructions about how often to take it and how long for.

Prexige remains on the market in the United Kingdom, Europe and Canada. Medicine regulatory authorities in these countries are also in the process of reviewing the safety data.

ENDS

Lucy Taylor
Media Advisor, Ministry of Health
04 496 2349 / 027 687 5642