Media release from PHARMAC

PHARMAC will fund a further pain relief treatment option - tramadol 50mg capsules - from 1 June.

Medical Director Dr Peter Moodie says tramadol is a useful addition to the list of funded painkillers. It has some advantages over other pain relief treatments, and will help fill the treatment gap being left by the withdrawal of products containing dextropropoxyphene.

"Tramadol is a stronger painkiller than many of the over-the-counter preparations such as paracetamol," says Dr Moodie. "Its advantage over the opioid analgesics is that it seems less likely to cause the constipation associated with drugs like codeine and morphine."

"We think there will be a number of people who will prefer tramadol because of its different side-effect profile."

New Zealand medicine regulator Medsafe is withdrawing products containing dextropropoxyphene (Paradex and Capadex) from 1 August 2010 as part of an international product withdrawal on safety grounds. Some of these patients may use the newly-funded tramadol instead.

Another advantage of the listing is that it is likely to lead to cost-savings, says Dr Moodie. Competition has enabled PHARMAC to negotiate a very favourable price that is lower than some comparable painkillers. With patients moving from these other products to tramadol, overall expenditure will reduce.

PHARMAC expects this cost saving to be in the region of $240,000 over three years.

Dr Moodie says there are other presentations of tramadol, including sustained-release formulations and oral liquids. PHARMAC is continuing to explore options for funding these other presentations, he says.