New Zealand drug-buying agency Pharmac has decided to switch its funding of gastrointestinal drug Losec to a similar product and has moved to ease any concerns about the change.
Losec (omeprazole) has been used widely to treat stomach conditions here, but Pharmac said it had run a competitive process and decided to go with a Dr Reddy branded product from May 1.
Pharmac medical director Peter Moodie said Losec's maker, pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, had been scaremongering about the potential effects of a switch.
The company said some people used to using Losec could suffer side effects by changing to a generic version.
Dr Moodie said New Zealand regulatory body Medsafe had thoroughly assessed and reviewed different brands of omeprazole and considered them bioequivalent.
Active ingredients were at the same levels and were absorbed into the body the same way, he said.
"So people can be confident that the new brand will work for them just as well as Losec."
Dr Moodie said it was unfortunate that AstraZeneca was also making an issue about the new drug being made in India.
"No matter where a drug comes from, it needs to demonstrate it's of good quality, effective and safe," he said.
Both Medsafe and Pharmac considered it safe, meaning the country of origin was not an issue.
Dr Moodie said AstraZeneca could continue to market its product, but it was not acceptable for the company to try to shake people's confidence about taking other medicine.
