Arthrem poses risk to liver - Medsafe

Arthrem, a joint health supplement which has been used in clinical trials at Dunedin Hospital, poses a risk to the liver, the Ministry of Health is warning, and some people taking it have ended up in hospital.

Arthrem, manufactured by publicly-listed Promisia Integrative Ltd, is extensively advertised in New Zealand for maintaining and supporting joint health and mobility.

The supplement had its laboratory testing partly funded by the Crown through a Callaghan Innovation grant.

Those grants included funding for trials at Dunedin Hospital.

Athrem is not an approved medicine and hence is not being recalled.

‘‘Medsafe has become aware of 14 instances of harm to the liver (toxicity) among consumers who have taken Arthrem,’’ Medsafe group manager Chris James said.

The Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring (Carm) had received 20 notifications relating to Arthrem over the past two years.

‘‘Medsafe wants to ensure all New Zealanders who are using this product are aware of the serious risk it may pose,’’ Mr James said. ‘‘In some of the cases reported to Carm, the patient required hospital care.’’

All 14 patients had stopped taking Arthrem and had since either recovered or were improving.

Arthrem chairman Stephen Woodward could not be contacted for comment.

However, a statement from Promisia last evening, reported by The New Zealand Herald, said hundreds of thousands of bottles of Arthrem had been sold over the past five years and the reported adverse liver reactions constituted less than .007% of all bottles sold.

It was a level the World Health Organisation’s adverse reactions guidelines stated was ‘‘very rare’’, the statement said.

Arthrem contains an extract of the plant artemisia annua, also known as sweet wormwood or qinghaosu.

Liver toxicity, including hepatitis, abnormal liver function and jaundice, had been reported in patients taking Arthrem, Mr James said.

‘‘As the chemical composition of the Artemisia annuaextract is not disclosed, it is possible other products containing Artemisia annuaextract may have similar effects.’’

Arthrem’s website said in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 12-week clinical trial, Arthrem was ‘‘well tolerated with no treatment-related adverse events’’.

A longer trial showed Arthrem was well tolerated when taken for up to nine months.

However, the firm also recommends people with elevated liver enzymes, liver disease or liver cancer not take Arthrem.

In its most recent annual report, Promisia said sales had increased 553% in the past financial year, reaching $2.6 million.

‘‘These sales were all from the sale of Arthrem and were 99% in New Zealand.’’

Promisia was looking to break into the Australian and South Korean markets with Arthrem.

mike.houlahan@odt.co.nz

 

Comments

'Wormwood! Wormwood!' Hamlet by Shakespeare.

If unapproved, product is unregulated. Avoid.

 

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