A neurologist's report to the Coroner says changing brands of the anti-seizure drug lamotrigine cannot be ruled out as a factor in the death of 31-year-old Auckland man Andre Maddock in December 2019.
But how much of a role the Pharmac brand switch played in the deaths of six people with epilepsy looks set to be highly contested at the inquest with initial reports to the coroner showing it is unlikely to have been a major factor in several of the other deaths.
Investigative Journalist Guyon Espiner, who first broke this story eighteen months ago, filed this report.
