The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 280 No 7495 p352
29 March 2008

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New perindopril tablets mean a change in dosage for patients

Patients taking perindopril products Coversyl and Coversyl Plus will need to be switched to one of Servier Laboratories’s new perindopril arginine presentations in April. Prescribers, pharmacists and patients should be aware that the new products — Coversyl Arginine (perindopril arginine) and Coversyl Arginine Plus (perindopril arginine/indapamide) — come in strengths and packaging that are different from the current formulations and that both existing and new stock will be present in the supply chain for a number of weeks.

A spokesman for Servier told The Journal that special patient leaflets describing the change would be available from Servier representatives. According to the company, Coversyl 2mg, 4mg and 8mg tablets are bioequivalent to Coversyl Arginine 2.5mg, 5mg and 10mg tablets, respectively.

The move is part of Servier’s plans to harmonise its global manufacturing of perindopril products. In warmer climates strips of Coversyl tablets needed to be foil-wrapped to ensure the products’ stability. The new perindopril arginine products do not require this additional packaging. Due to the capacity of the supply chain it may take a number of weeks for the new product to reach patients depending on individual stock levels, the Servier spokesman pointed out.

“ It will take a few weeks until all prescribing/dispensing systems are updated as several steps — most of them outside our control — are involved in this process,” he said. “We have been informing the relevant bodies to ensure it will be straightforward to prescribe and dispense. We anticipate this will start mid to late April. Pharmacists should continue to dispense Coversyl and Coversyl Plus as appropriate during this transition.”