Mum's being switched to a different medication for her blood pressure. Not by her doctor, though, and not for any medical reason. Indeed, the information she got at the pharmacy made it seem like it's the same medication only in heavier dose — only a careful comparison with the old box revealed the difference in active ingredient (from Perindopril Erbumine to Perindopril Arginine). The name change — and the change as explained in the leaflet — was from "Coversyl 8mg" to "Coversyl 10mg".
Why?
Well, apparently the patent on the old medicine was running out in a couple of months. By changing the formulation, the pharmaceutical company gets another 15 years. Evergreening, this is apparently called. There is an official benefit to the new formulation, but it's phrased so contingently ('potentially … longer expiry date') that it would seem to be limited if it exists at all.
So here's mum being forced onto a new medicine for no reason better than corporate greed.
Of course, the whole system of medicine patents suffers from one logical flaw: developing new medicines is important, but hardly the only area of medical research. How are the other areas financed? Either they are financed well enough, in which case the same mechanism can be used to finance development of new medicines; or they are not financed well, which is a real problem that needs to be solved urgently. In neither case are medicine patents of any real use to society.
⇦ Strip Uno | ⇨ Link: Copyright law in verse |
2 February 2007, 3:13 UTCcomment by Sue
Hi - I am a patient using this drug too. I wondered if your Mum was having any adverse affects? I am also on the 10mg. I am having headaches since the changeover. Interesting and very plausible view you have put forward also.
Regards, Sue.
20 April 2007, 20:15 UTCcomment by Kay
Hi, I had been on Coversyl 8mg for a few years with no ill effects. However, after switching to the Coversyl 10 mg, my Liver enzyme results went through the roof. I am not talking a little, I am talking of readings that were elevated of more that 100-200 above what they had been. After investigating to see what was causing it, there was a direct correaltion between when switching to the Coversyl 10mg and the elevation in readings. The reverse happened when I was changed off the Coversyl 10mg. It was discovered I was sensitive to the changed active ingredient 'Arginine'. So much for being told the 10 mg was exactly the same as the 8mg!!!!
27 July 2007, 8:05 UTCcomment by JT
Are you all aware that Arginine is inactive? It cant actually cause anything and is excreted unchanged? The TGA is very strict and demanded the toughest guidlines before the drug came out. I got switched from 8mg to 10mg and if you look closly the only think that has changed is the packet, also the generic is out so wheres the evergreening oh and the company is a foundation and now donates 100% of its turnover to charities and communities and also research. In case your wondering i work for a GP and get to read all the boring papers left bheind.
27 July 2007, 9:11 UTCcomment by sabik
@JT: I find that very hard to believe.
Firstly, the question isn't about Arginine, but about the difference between the two salts of Perindopril, Perindopril Erbumine and Perindopril Arginine. Salts generally have very different properties to their constituents.
Secondly, Arginine itself a semi-essential nutrient. Quite far from being excreted unchanged.
Thirdly, I find your characterisation of Servier inaccurate.
Finally, your poor orthography combined with a plaintive appeal to dubious authority isn't doing anything to aid your credibility.
22 October 2007, 14:27 UTCcomment by Aching
I was switched to the new formulation and suffered facial flushing, going bright red within several hours of taking the 5mg tablet each morning and having to cool my face with water to ease it. I put in an adverse reaction report to the TGA in Aust. Arginine is a vasodilator, not an inactive substance.
I am in my early 50's but I experienced constant shoulder myalgia and calf muscle cramps on the original Coversyl and now on the new formulation I currently have acute inflammatory arthritis of the hands, hips, knees and feet for which I am being tested and treated. I intend to change to the original formulation as soon as I can obtain it or will probably cease Coversyl.
13 December 2007, 11:46 UTCcomment by maureen
I have submitted an adverse reaction report to ADRAC and to Servier over the reformulated Coversyl. My 90yo mother experienced extreme and disabling vertigo every day she was on the new 5mg formulation. I insisted she be changed back to a generic with the 4mg erbumine salt: the vertigo gradually faded away, over a period of 5 days before she was completely free of any dizziness and woke up "feeling normal." Subsequently she has had no vertigo except for one day when she missed taking her tablet (I found it on the floor next day). About a month later she saw a specialist who decided to swap her to Atacand so the experiment will not be repeated, but watch out and let us know if dizziness is a result, and hip fractures as a result of the vertigo would be likely. Her GP initially thought this was just another symptom of old age. All ingredients are of significance, not just those the company claims to be the therapeutic ones.
21 February 2008, 10:36 UTCcomment by Aching
I have stopped the reformulated Coversyl, changing to Perindo which is now available. It has the same formulation as the original Coversyl: perindopril erbumine, not perindopril arginine. I heard from the pharmacist that Perindo was now available, but requires a replacement prescription. After a year of constant pain, within 4 days the severe myalgia stopped. And I'm not stiff and sore when I wake in the morning now. If anyone else is being crippled by muscle pain while on Coversyl, it may be a side effect.
17 March 2008, 10:11 UTCcomment by pain
I was swithched from 5mg coversyl to 10mg and I have experienced abdominal pain since {2 months}
My doctor is running tests and disreguards that
it could be a side effect. Though it is a big co-incidence. Any comments?
14 May 2008, 2:27 UTCcomment by paul
I have not taken the 'new' (arginine) formulation of Coversyl as I have a backlog of filled scripts (some are now of the 'new 'formulation), but the latest supplies, in response to a script. for Coversyl, have been changed by my pharmacist to GenRx Perindopril-4ml. perindopril erbumine. Just luck I suppose, or a wide awake pharmacist!!
17 August 2008, 5:32 UTCcomment by lance
I am 76Years of age and my doctor put me on coversyl-10 about 5 months ago, I now have a heart that is intermittent and up until coversyl had a very strong heart. I feel like I have been put through the wringer and I am about to give it the flick and go on alternative medicine. I think that the Pharmaceuticals Suck.
25 October 2008, 6:03 UTCcomment by xmrjeep
I had been on the original Coversyl for 4 years. After one prescription I started to suffer muscle pain in my upper thighs, an inspection of the box revealed I had been prescribed generic Perindopril not the original,a very clever copy of the old box was the culprit. I changed back immediatley and the problem disappeared. Since then I was given the new Arginine salt, within a month the side effects returned and are getting worse in addition I am experiencing muscle pain at the back of my neck.
I am being changed to an entirely different ACE inhibitor despite the fact my GP believes they are the same product.
I have been conned for the convenience of the drug companies!
15 November 2008, 0:04 UTCcomment by Chris
i have been on coversyl 5 mg to control kidney function (bergers disease) but have since switched to 10 mg Arginine due decreasing kidney function resulting from hypertension. i also had a few side effects constant dry cough and nausea and sudden severe cramping in the thighs and calves, believed that this was something that i would have to live with. id like to hear from younger people, i am 29, who have the same problem and what sort of results they have had from using this drug.
25 November 2008, 13:14 UTCcomment by Hendrik
My GP prescribed Conversyl 10mg recently. I have suffered from severe maylgia over the last two weeks, to such an extent that I have been unable to sleep for a few nights. My doctor told me today to staop taking the tablets. Hopefully the pain will go away soon.
9 January 2009, 3:54 UTCcomment by KChin
My nephrologist put me on 2mg Coversyl daily for the last 6 years to protect my kidneys since I have micro hematuria, but I do not have hypertension. I have now developed Oral Lichen Planus. I wonder if Coversly is the cause of this problem.
23 April 2009, 3:15 UTCcomment by Tyna
My mother is 82 and has been on coversyl for many years. Having recently moved to an aged care facility, the visiting doctor prescribed GX Perindopril/Indapamide instead. She has suffered swollen, painful feet for the first time in her life. It was just luck that I realised the two were linked. It really peeves me that the change was done due to a cheaper generic version of the original. Surely there is no need to do this, especially when the government subsidises the correct medication anyway. Just another area where the elderly are disrespected in my view. She was not even given a choice. Getting old sucks, as I can see it....
Thanks for everyones comments on this site, it made me realise that I wasnt just imagining the link.
27 April 2009, 1:38 UTCcomment by kirsten
I have been on Coverysl 5mg the Perindopril Arginine one for about 1 year and am having increasing neck, shoulder pain, and it feels like it is slowly moving down my back. Does this sound familiar to anyone? NOt that Ive had arthritis before , but I imagine this might be how it feels. If you change medication do the pains go Away?
11 May 2009, 3:16 UTCcomment by Carole
All these comments have been very interesting. I began on Coversyl 2.5mg graduating to 10mgm in mid 2008. However since last December I have been getting increased fuzzy headedness bordering on vertigo and have eliminated every other medication so wondering it it is caused by Coversyl. I now suffer every and all day. I take it for high BP caused by a medical condition which will be alleviated by an upcoming operation. BP is now great and I need to keep it that way until op later in year but can't keep on with the fuzziness. Any ideas?
11 May 2009, 7:21 UTCcomment by sabik
If you have concerns about a medicine you're taking or its side-effects, talk to your physician (preferably the one who prescribed it, in the first instance).
17 May 2009, 22:34 UTCcomment by Ian
I was on Coversyl 5 mg for 12 months without any side effects. About 3 months ago on a routine doctors visit it was discovered my BP was still very high and the doctor increased my doesage to 10 mg. I purchased my own BP machine and now monitor my BP each morning and night. At first my BP went back to 135/80 but over the last 2 months gradually continued to rise until it was around 175/95. I went back to the doctor who has now put me on Norvasc with my 10mg of Coversyl. Since taken this I feel very light headed. I was just wondering if anyone else out there also has to take 2 drugs to keep their BP down.
25 May 2009, 4:33 UTCcomment by Shaun
I take Coversyl 5mg and have done for about 18 months.
Can anyone tell me what long term side effects this drug has.
Does it prolong life or shorten it!
8 July 2009, 3:16 UTCcomment by Tom
Wow, I wondered where all the hypochondriac patients with a loose grip on logic and reality hang out, now I know.
Do any of you know what bioequivalaence means?
14 July 2009, 1:31 UTCcomment by Sandra
As I understand it, most people are given 2 types of medication for high blood pressure, not just one. However, I can't take 2 because the side-effects from just the Coversyl 10 that I take are more than enough. Why is high blood pressure so hard to treat? I am against drugs that make you feel worse than before you started the treatment.
20 July 2009, 6:37 UTCcomment by kirsten
To follow on from my previous entry, I have now changed from Coversyl 5mg to Atacand 16mg. My B/P is great and all my aches and pains have gone, I no longer need pain relief. So I would say it was from the Coversyl. Hope that info helps someone else.(P.S. I dont have any noticeable side effects from the Atacand).
2 August 2009, 13:24 UTCcomment by sabik
@Sandra, if you have concerns about a medicine you're taking or its side-effects, talk to your physician (preferably the one who prescribed it, in the first instance).
2 August 2009, 13:36 UTCcomment by sabik
@Tom, bioequivalence is a nice concept, but proving it generally entails proving a negative (no significant difference) and proving a negative is generally difficult. Rare side-effects are rare and therefore will not show up (or be measured) in a study. In addition, even for the outcomes that are measured, the regulator allows some degree of difference.
It is also, in the case mentioned here, needless; and there's an old saying about not messing about with things that work.
Finally, I would ask you to avoid ad hominem arguments and personal attacks on my blog.
12 October 2009, 21:00 UTCcomment by kelsey
I work in pharmacy, i would just like to put it out there that there is ALOT of information out there for people on generic medication, and alot of information on brand price premium drugs. The only reason genrx or apotex drugs are cheaper is that the original makers of the drug need to earn back the money they spent developing the drug. they have around twenty years of a patent and during this time, the drugs can be priced high due as no one is able to copy it. After this the companies usually have a price premium. its just like buying a cotton shirt, why would you spend 60 dollars on a shirt that says wrangler or billabong when you can buy the same thing for 10 dollars at target. i dont understand. and people, in all generic medication leaflets information sheets etc. it is ALWAYS stated that the inactive ingredients may differ, if your worried about a reaction, get your GP to check these out. the active ingredients MUST have the same effect work in the same way with in the same amount of time. dont complain. if you can get on this site. you can google this stuff. im pretty sure doctors and pharmacists didnt spend 5 or 7 years studing just for a piece of paper.
19 October 2009, 9:18 UTCcomment by sabik
@kelsey, wait, what?
Perindopril Erbumine and Perindopril Arginine are not equivalents; they're different active ingredients. At the time of the original switch, they were both covered by patents, and therefore no generics were available. The manufacturer discontinued P.Erbumine (which had some months left on the patent) to force people to switch to P.Arginine (newly patented). To add confusion, they used the same brand name for both.
Generics are now available for P.Erbumine; however, having once switched to P.Arginine, people may be reluctant to switch again, or simply not think to ask their doctor for it (the pharmacy can't do it — different active ingredient).
8 December 2009, 4:11 UTCcomment by chookybo
My 65 year old husband was put on Coversyl 5mg in 2007. He was then changed to Coversyl 10mg. Both have always been Perindopril Arginine. He did develope a bit of a rash which he thought was a fungus. This went away after discontinuing the Coversyl, but that might be coincidental as he was treating the rash. After some time he was changed to Avapro 300mgs. He recently commenced on Avapro 300mgs in the morning and Coversyl 2.5mg nocte. Now he has developed severe psoriasis all over his body. Do any of you know whether there is any connection?
After reading all your comments, I wonder whether the Coversyl could possible be connected with the psoriasis as he has never had it previously to his knowledge.
16 December 2009, 23:43 UTCcomment by Scotty
My cardiologist put me on coversyl plus 5mg (mornings) and 'Physiotens' 400ug at night. My BP readings dropped but didn't get to my gaol of 139/75. So I - yes I - added to the coversyl plus 5mg, an extra 5mg of standard coversyl making my potion 'Coversyl plus 10mg'. My BP is now right but I'm now informed that elderly people (I'm 69) are at risk taking a high dose of coversyl. Buggered if I know. Any suggestions?
17 December 2009, 0:58 UTCcomment by sabik
@Scotty, if you have concerns about a medicine you're taking or its side-effects, talk to your physician (preferably the one who prescribed it, in the first instance).
17 December 2009, 7:06 UTCcomment by Scotty
Thanks sabik for your reply. I did see a local GP today & he said my 'cocktail' was quite ok, but he wants me to have regular blood tests to monitor my kidney function & levels of electrolytes such as potassium, sodium & calcium in the blood. I will start that this week & then every 6 months. Makes good sense doesn't it. Incidentally the reason I did the juggle to coversyl plus 10mg is because the manuf SERVIER does not make a 10mg plus tablet, only a 5mg plus. Strange isn't it?
24 January 2010, 5:30 UTCcomment by mal
Does anyone have any information if Coversyl can cause tremors? I have recently been taken off coversyl 10mg and the tremors seem to be reducing. Any connection?
29 January 2010, 6:23 UTCcomment by sabik
@mal, if you have concerns about a medicine you've been taking or its side-effects, talk to your physician (preferably the one who prescribed it, in the first instance).
13 March 2010, 11:08 UTCcomment by heather
i have just started 2.5mg coversyl with avapro 150/12.5 daily,aftr 4 days have ongoing diahorea and stomach cramps,leg and back pain.i have been on medication for 14 yrs,since last may when my bp went up again i have trialled a total of about 16 different drugs,if they work they dont for long,or side effects are to much for me,i have just come off adefin as it was a slow release drug thar worked well,but the constipation was to much and caused heamaroids,which are pretyy miserable to live with.will monitor my symptons.
13 March 2010, 14:24 UTCcomment by sabik
@heather, if you have concerns about a medicine you're taking or its side-effects, talk to your physician (preferably the one who prescribed it, in the first instance).
