New Zealand Regulators Announce Funding of Zeldox

New Zealand’s Pharmaceutical Management Agency (PHARMAC) has begun funding Zeldox, another drug in the atypical antipsychotic range of medicines.

PHARMAC said Zeldox (ziprasidone) capsules will be funded for people who have tried other atypical antipsychotics, but have stopped using these medicines because of unacceptable side effects or inadequate response.

Peter Moodie, PHARMAC medical director, said the main difference between ziprasidone and some of the other antipsychotic drugs is that patients seem to gain less weight while taking it.

Currently, approximately 40,000 patients annually take one of the other four funded atypical antipsychotics: clozapine, risperidone, quetiapine and olanzapine.