Health trends

NHF adds new drugs

The National Health Fund (NHF) has added two new active ingredients to its drug list. They are Insulin Detemir and Levetiracetam, which treat diabetes and epilepsy, respectively. Insulin Detemir under the label Levemir Flexpen has a subsidy of $4,875.80 for a pack of five (5) 3ml insulin pens. Levetiracetam under the label Keppra has a subsidy of $3,796 for each 300-millilitre 10 per cent solution and $64 per 500-milligram tablet.

Two other active ingredients were also removed from the NHF and JADEP drug lists. They are Rosiglitazone (Avandia) and combination of rosiglitazone and metformin (Avandamet) used for the treatment of diabetes. These drugs were removed from the programme due to clinical studies, which revealed an association with Rosiglitazone and a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease (heart attacks and heart failure) especially in high risk patients. Consequently, Rosiglitazone and its combinations were removed from a number of pharmaceutical markets worldwide, and in markets where the drug was allowed to remain, restriction of use was imposed.

In addition, two new labels were also added to the NHF drug list. They are Glimepiride-H2K (Glimepiride) 2mg Tablets with a subsidy of $29.31 per tablet for the treatment of diabetes and Resilo-H (Losartan + Hydrochlorothiazide) Tablets 50mg/12.5mg with a subsidy of $41.17 per tablet, for the treatment of hypertension and as an adjunct for diabetes.

Details of the NHF subsidies for these items are available from NHF participating pharmacies, the NHF website or by calling NHF.

- Source: The National Health Fund