Pharmac has been left red-faced as a cost-saving initiative appears to have backfired, and it retreated on its plan to shift thousands of patients from their prescribed drugs to a cheaper alternative.
The government's drug-buying agency was set to save $30 million, moving 11,000 people from Lamictal and Arrow to a generic form of Lamotrigine called Logem.
On Friday it's been revealed on Checkpoint that a fourth patient has died, with the family blaming the change to the new drug.
Pharmac has decided to allow patients to return to using their preferred drugs, meaning it's cost savings are out the window, though it won't admit any fault about the deaths until the coroner rules that there was any link.
Investigative reporter Guyon Espiner spoke to Pharmac's Dr Ken Clark and told Alex Perrottet later that Pharmac is raising the white flag without admitting any fault, yet.
