EMA has released some drug safety updates in its recent Issue 133 April 2020. The safety topics discussed below based on their therapeutic areas. Meningioma risk associated with cyproterone use: Cyproterone is an antiandrogen (blocks the action of androgens, a type of sex hormone found in both men and women) and progestin medication (blocking the…
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States announced a serious safety concern on the use of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for the treatment of 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) due to abnormal heart rhythms like QT prolongation and ventricular tachycardia. Currently, there are no medicines proven effective for the treatment of COVID-19. On 28‑Mar‑2020, FDA released…
European Medicines Agency’s (EMA’s) Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) recommended a test for identification of the “lack or inadequate presence of an enzyme, dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD)” in the body before receiving treatment with fluorouracil (by injection or infusion) and the its prodrugs which included capecitabine and tegafur (these drugs are converted to fluorouracil in the body)…
In a new release from European Medicines Agency (EMA), Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) stated that ingenol mebutate may increase the risk of skin cancer and concluded that risks for ingenol mebutate medicine are greater than its benefits. On 09-May-2019, PRAC initiated the procedure of review for assessing the benefit risk profile for ingenol mebutate…
The Malaysian Health Authority-National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA), Ministry of Health Malaysia released the following new drug safety alerts. Drug Safety Alert 1: Risk of anaphylaxis associated with Guselkumab use Drug Safety Alert 2: Kounis syndrome associated with Intravenous iron-containing products Drug Safety Alert 3: Reports of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection or reactivation with Nivolumab use…
Amneal Pharmaceuticals announced recall of nizatidine oral solution, 15 mg/mL, due to presence of potential levels of N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) impurity, (a probable human carcinogen). Nizatidine is a similar drug to Ranitidine which is commonly used in the treatment of peptic ulcer disease and gastroesophageal reflux disease. It acts as antagonists for histamine (H2) receptor, thereby…
A medicine with negative benefit to risk ratio has withdrawn from the US market. (Belviq) lorcaserin is a weight loss medication developed by Arena Pharmaceuticals approved for treating obesity together with diet and exercise in adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater (obese), or adults with a BMI of 27 or…
Vitamin D3 (colecalciferol) supplements are quite commonly used medications for vitamin D deficiency by all age groups especially in elderly women and young children. It also used to treat and prevent bone disorders like rickets, osteomalacia. Colecalciferol is the natural precursor of the calcium-regulating hormone calcitriol, which plays an important role in regulating calcium and…
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a global pandemic which is affecting human beings with an acute respiratory infectious illness by damaging multiple organ systems, including heart, lung, and blood. Most adults with COVID-19 experience fever, cough, and fatigue and then recover within one to three weeks. However, it becomes fatal for some patients who develop severe…
Empagliflozin is a medication used for treatment of type-2 diabetes together with diet and exercise. This medicine is also used to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death in adult patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus and established cardiovascular disease. On 10-Apr-2020, Zydus cedilla announced that it has received temporary approval from the USFDA for marketing…