A new pact due to be signed by Pharmac and Merck Sharp & Dohme, the world's second largest pharmaceutical giant, is claimed to extend a sigh of relief to people at risk of heart attacks.

“As the price of these drugs has come down, this has given us opportunities to make them available for greater numbers of patients”, Pharmac Medical Director Peter Moodie posted.

From the next month, the treatment would be cheaper as the cholesterol-lowering medication would be retailed at half of their present rates, thereby widening their access.

Funding laws imposed on atorvastatin were removed from September 1. The retail prices of the cholesterol absorption inhibitor ezetimibe would be lowered by up to half from October 1, outlined Pharmac, the Government agency which operates community pharmaceuticals.

In addition, the pact also included other drugs as the antidepressant drug--mianserin (Tolvon) and hormonal treatment drug--oestriol (Ovestin).

The spate of changes introduced under the agreement witnessed to widen GPs ability to prescribe ezetimibe to a large amount of people without any cost concern, Pharmac posted in a media release.

Pharmac has estimated that the price cuts would result in a rise of over $8 million in the net expenditure of DHB pharmaceutical spending calculated over the next five years.