Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI) are antidepressant class of medications used in the treatment of depression. They act by increasing the levels of serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain for therapeutic effect. United Kingdom health authority – Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) released a drug safety…
Arsenic trioxide is a chemotherapeutic medication used in the treatment of newly diagnosed low-to-intermediate risk acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) and relapsed/refractory APL characterized by the presence of leukaemia/retinoic-acid-receptor-alpha (PML/RAR-alpha) gene. The initial approved formulation available in market for arsenic trioxide is 1 mg/ml single-use 10 ml of glass ampoule (This formulation comprises 10 mg of…
Biogen released a direct healthcare professional communication (DHPC) pertaining to the risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) associated with Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) to alert healthcare professionals for safe usage of this medicine and implementing the recommended risk minimizing measures. This DHPC released in agreement with European Medicines Agency (EMA) and national health authority of Ireland…
A direct health care professional communication (DHPC) released by Novartis in liaison with European medicines agency (EMA) and some of national competent authorities in Europe to disseminate important safety information pertaining to drug (fingolimod) induced liver injury to alert healthcare professionals for a careful benefit -risk analysis and early implementation of risk minimization measures for…
German Health Authority – Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices, released a safety alert for fluoroquinolone antibiotics for the potential risk of heart valve regurgitation. This is a direct healthcare professional communication released by marketing authorisation holder of respective medicinal products in liaison with European Medicines Agency (EMA) to inform health care professionals on…
Ireland Health authority, Health Products Regulatory Authority – HPRA has released a drug safety alert for modafinil association with congenital malformations (congenital heart defects, hypospadias and orofacial clefts) in foetus when exposed to a pregnant woman or to women of childbearing potential. Modafinil is a wakefulness promoting medicinal product used in the treatment of too…
Pirfenidone used in the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (scarring of the lung tissue). It is an inhibitor of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta (a factor which is involved in the proliferation and differentiation of cells) and it also inhibits the TNF-Alpha. Norway health authority (Norwegian Medicines Agency) identified a new safety alert for pirfenidone from…
Norwegian Medicines Agency (health authority of Norway) published a drug safety alert of drug ineffectiveness for heparin due to interaction with andexane alpha. To foster awareness, this significant safety information is disseminated to health care professionals for early implementation of risk minimizing measures. Andexanet alpha is a recombinant modified factor Xa protein for the reversal…
United States Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA) has issued a safety communication on the potential risk of oligohydramnios in pregnant women when exposed to medicinal products that belongs to the class of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) during pregnancy of 20 weeks gestational age. FDA issued this communication to alert health care professionals and consumers for…
A new drug safety signal “Dimethyl fumarate included Alopecia areata” identified by Netherlands Pharmacovigilance center, Lareb Dimethyl fumarate is an anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory agent which is used in the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis and plaque psoriasis. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disorder which involves loss of hair follicle with one or more circular bald…