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Drug Safety Update

From:
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
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  • Simvastatin: updated advice on drug interactions

    Updated contraindications and maximum dose recommendations when taken with a number of other medicines.

    • Therapeutic area: Cardiovascular disease and lipidology and 1 others
    • Published:
  • Statins: interactions, and updated advice for atorvastatin

    Detailed recommendations for dose restrictions when used with some other drugs as interactions may increase the risk of adverse effects, or reduce the effectiveness of statin treatment.

    • Therapeutic area: Cardiovascular disease and lipidology
    • Published:
  • Simvastatin: dose limitations with concomitant amlodipine or diltiazem

    …The maximum recommended dose for simvastatin in conjunction with amlodipine and diltiazem is now 20 mg/day.…

    • Therapeutic area: Cardiovascular disease and lipidology and 1 others
    • Published:
  • Simvastatin: increased risk of myopathy at high dose (80 mg)

    There is an increased risk of myopathy associated with high-dose (80 mg) simvastatin.…

    • Therapeutic area: Cardiovascular disease and lipidology
    • Published:
  • Statins: benefits and risks

    Statins (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) are widely used medicines for patients with lipid disorders and in the primary and secondary prevention of heart attack and stroke.

    • Therapeutic area: Cardiovascular disease and lipidology
    • Published:
  • Tredaptive (combined niacin-laropiprant): no longer for prescribing

    Preliminary HPS2-THRIVE trial failed to show benefit outweighs risks

    • Therapeutic area: Cardiovascular disease and lipidology
    • Published:
  • Fibrates: first-line treatment not recommended

    Healthcare professionals should not prescribe them to newly diagnosed patients as first-line treatment, except for those with severe hypertriglyceridaemia or those who cannot take statins.

    • Therapeutic area: Cardiovascular disease and lipidology
    • Published:
  • Systemic fusidic acid and interaction with statins

    There is a risk of rhabdomyolysis if Systemic fusidic acid (Fucidin) is given with statins.

    • Therapeutic area: Cardiovascular disease and lipidology and 1 others
    • Published:
  • Statins: very infrequent reports of myasthenia gravis

    Globally, there has been a very small number of reports of new-onset or aggravation of pre-existing myasthenia gravis with atorvastatin, pravastatin, lovastatin, fluvastatin, simvastatin, rosuvastatin and pitavastatin (single-ingredient and fixed-dose combination products).…

    • Therapeutic area: Cardiovascular disease and lipidology
    • Published:
  • Statins: updated adverse reaction information in patient leaflets

    Healthcare professionals should be aware of the updated information so they can discuss it with new and existing patients.

    • Therapeutic area: Cardiovascular disease and lipidology
    • Published:
  • Letters and drug alerts sent to healthcare professionals in December 2020

    A summary of letters and drug alerts recently sent to healthcare professionals.

    • Therapeutic area: Anaesthesia and intensive care and 4 others
    • Published:
  • Statins: risk of hyperglycaemia and diabetes

    Statin use may be associated with a level of hyperglycaemia in some patients where formal diabetes care is appropriate.

    • Therapeutic area: Cardiovascular disease and lipidology
    • Published: