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A summary of recent letters, medicine recalls and notifications sent to healthcare professionals.
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Insufficient evidence to confirm a link between oral bisphosphonate use and an increased risk of oesophageal cancer.
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Measure serum immunoglobulin levels if recurrent infections develop. Consider bronchiectasis or pulmonary fibrosis if patients develop persistent respiratory symptoms.
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There is no known interaction between oseltamivir and aspirin but aspirin must not be given to anyone younger than 16 year.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices. Includes a recent recall of Accupro (quinapril hydrochloride) and advice on Xagrid (anagrelide hydrochloride…
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Letters were issued about parenteral nutrition products, ranibizumab, ingenol mebutate gel, adrenaline auto-injectors, and fingolimod. Recall alerts were recently issued about ranitidine, aripiprazole, and bisacodyl.
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Letters were sent about quadrivalent influenza vaccine, fentanyl ampoules, and Volibris (ambrisentan), and a number of pharmacy-level recalls were issued for ranitidine-containing products. Other alerts issued in October 201…
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Atypical femoral fractures reported rarely with bisphosphonate therapy, mainly in patients receiving long-term treatment for osteoporosis.
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N-acetylcysteine may interfere with assays from Siemens ADVIA Chemistry and Dimension/Dimension Vista instruments, leading to false-low biochemistry test results.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices, and information about the publication of two recent Device Safety Information pages. The article also includ…
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Updated contraindications and maximum dose recommendations when taken with a number of other medicines.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines
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Cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy have been reported in patients taking dimethyl fumarate for multiple sclerosis, who all had prolonged lymphopenia.
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…Letters were sent about Buccolam (midazolam), misoprostol vaginal delivery system (Mysodelle), noradrenaline, Relenza (zanamivir), mycophenolate mofetil/mycophenolic acid, Flolan, and Fludara.…
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Caution is required if prescribing febuxostat in patients with pre-existing major cardiovascular disease, particularly, in those with evidence of high urate crystal and tophi burden or those initiating urate-lowering therapy…
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A summary of recent letters, medicine recalls and notifications sent to healthcare professionals
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices
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Tazocin (piperacillin/tazobactam) has been reformulated to meet European Pharmacopoeia requirements on particle size.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.
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Letters were sent about alemtuzumab (Lemtrada), Selenase (sodium selenite pentahydrate), and Erelzi▼ (etanercept).
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Disabling, long-lasting or potentially irreversible adverse reactions affecting musculoskeletal and nervous systems have been reported very rarely with fluoroquinolone antibiotics. Fluoroquinolone treatment should be discont…
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.
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MHRA has received a small number of reports suggesting lack of efficacy (thromboembolic events) in patients taking 15 mg or 20 mg rivaroxaban on an empty stomach; remind patients to take 15 mg or 20 mg rivaroxaban tablets wi…
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Preliminary HPS2-THRIVE trial failed to show benefit outweighs risks
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The maximum recommended dose for simvastatin in conjunction with amlodipine and diltiazem is now 20 mg/day.
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Alerts were issued about Rocket and NuSurgix fetal blood sampling (FBS) amnioscopes and kits, Philips Efficia professional-use defibrillators/monitors, and CME T-34 3rd edition syringe driver pumps. A notice was also issued …
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Use restricted to adults with advanced or metastatic breast cancer only.
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Recent MHRA National Patient Safety Alerts to remove from service Philips Health Systems V60 and V60 Plus ventilators and to recall Emerade adrenaline auto-injectors from patients, pharmacies and wholesalers. We also provide…
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Information on the newly launched Safer Medicines in Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Consortium and a new report on optimising data on medicines used during pregnancy.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.
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Reporting suspected adverse reactions experienced by the woman or child associated with medicines taken during pregnancy.
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…Alerts were issued about ranitidine, paracetamol, omeprazole, mitomycin-C Kyowa, folic acid, and Emerade adrenaline auto-injectors.…
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Fatal cases of tumour lysis syndrome (TLS) have been reported, some occurring in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia receiving the lowest venetoclax dose used in the dose-titration schedule. For all patients, it is i…
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.
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Dental examination and appropriate preventive dentistry should be considered before treatment, especially for patients also treated with an intravenous bisphosphonate.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.
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Recent information relating to COVID-19 vaccines and medicines that has been published since the November 2021 issue of Drug Safety Update, up to 3 December 2021.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.
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A recent Europe-wide review of the safety information for alli has led to a number of updates, which bring the product information in line with that for Xenical.
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Use baricitinib with caution in patients with diverticular disease and in those concomitantly treated with medications associated with an increased risk of diverticulitis.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices, and a recent National Patient Safety Alert asking organisations to put a plan in place to implement new regu…
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Report to the Yellow Card Scheme suspected adverse reactions associated with medicines taken during pregnancy experienced by women or the baby or child. Obstetricians and midwives have a particularly important role in provid…
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A summary of letters and drug alerts recently sent to healthcare professionals.
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A new study has suggested pregabalin may slightly increase the risk of major congenital malformations if used in pregnancy. Patients should continue to use effective contraception during treatment and avoid use in pregnancy …
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.
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Advice for healthcare professionals on the reclassification of codeine linctus to a prescription-only medicine (POM), following a public consultation.
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Systemic fluoroquinolones must now only be prescribed when other commonly recommended antibiotics are inappropriate. This follows a review by the MHRA which looked at the effectiveness of current measures to reduce the ident…
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Healthcare professionals prescribing fluoroquinolone antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, delafloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, ofloxacin) are reminded to be alert to the risk of disabling and potentially long-lasting or irrevers…
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Monitoring for encephalitis should continue for 12 months following discontinuation of daclizumab. Inform all patients who have discontinued daclizumab and their caregivers of the common symptoms of encephalitis and the need…
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A review of the risks of major congenital malformations and of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes for antiepileptic drugs by the Commission on Human Medicines has confirmed that lamotrigine (Lamictal) and levetiracetam (Kep…