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Recent information relating to COVID-19 vaccines and medicines that has been published since the July 2022 issue of Drug Safety Update, up to 19 August 2022.
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Recent information relating to COVID-19 vaccines and medicines that has been published since the December 2021 issue of Drug Safety Update, up to 13 January 2022.…
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…Cervarix was replaced in the programme by the HPV vaccine Gardasil▼ from September 2012.
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Recent information relating to COVID-19 vaccines and medicines that has been published since the October 2021 issue of Drug Safety Update, up to 12 November 2021.
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Maintenance doses of brolucizumab (after the first 3 doses) should not be given at intervals of less than 8 weeks apart.
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A summary of advice recently issued by the MHRA relating to coronavirus (COVID-19), up to 21 April 2021.
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Emerade 300 and 500 microgram adrenaline auto-injectors have been re-supplied to the market following the implementation of corrective actions – patients and their caregivers should be provided with training and advice speci…
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Recent information relating to COVID-19 vaccines and medicines that has been published since the June 2022 issue of Drug Safety Update, up to 20 July 2022.
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Albumin-bound paclitaxel formulations for infusion (nab-paclitaxel; brand names Abraxane, Pazenir) differ from conventional paclitaxel medicines in their authorised indications, pharmacokinetics, recommended dosages, and pre…
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Prescribers and dispensers should use caution if switching patients between different long-acting formulations of methylphenidate (Concerta XL, Medikinet XL, Equasym XL, Ritalin LA, and generics) as different instructions fo…
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Recent information relating to COVID-19 vaccines and medicines that has been published since the February 2022 issue of Drug Safety Update, up to 11 March 2022
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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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Premature puberty and genital enlargement have been reported in children who were in close physical contact with an adult using topical testosterone and who were repeatedly accidentally exposed to this medicine. To reduce th…
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A summary of advice recently issued by the MHRA relating to coronavirus (COVID-19), up to 13 May 2021.
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Further to our previous advice in 2016, Public Health England have updated their guidance about live vaccination of infants born to a mother who received immunosuppressive biological therapy during pregnancy.
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Latest evidence suggests long-term use of combined oral contraceptives or progestogen-only injectable contraceptives is associated with a small increased risk of cervical cancer.
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A large study has shown no safety issues of concern relating to the use of metformin during pregnancy. The licence for metformin now reflects that it can be considered for use during pregnancy and the periconceptional phase …
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Amiodarone has been associated with serious and potentially life-threatening side effects, particularly of the lung, liver, and thyroid gland. We remind healthcare professionals that patients should be supervised and reviewe…
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Cases of serious liver injury with elevated transaminases and bilirubin have been reported during treatment with Kaftrio–Kalydeco combination therapy. In all patients, measure alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminot…
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Serious and life-threatening hypercalcaemia has been reported with denosumab 60mg (Prolia) in children and adolescents in clinical trials for osteogenesis imperfecta and during off-label use. Denosumab 60mg (Prolia) is autho…
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Evidence suggests an increased risk of aminoglycoside-associated ototoxicity in patients with mitochondrial mutations, including cases in which the patient’s aminoglycoside serum levels were within the recommended range. The…
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Rarely, severe adverse effects can occur on stopping treatment with topical corticosteroids, often after long-term continuous or inappropriate use of moderate to high potency products. To reduce the risks of these events, pr…
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The seventh annual #MedSafetyWeek social media campaign will take place 7 to 13 November 2022 and this year’s focus is the importance of reporting suspected adverse reactions to medicines and vaccines.…
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As the safety of COVID-19 antivirals in pregnancy has not been established, please report any pregnancies which occur during use of an antiviral, including paternal use, to the UK COVID-19 Antivirals Pregnancy Registry. This…
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Cases of severe cutaneous adverse reactions, including Stevens-Johnsons syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), have been reported in patients treated with immune-stimulatory anti-cancer drugs, including atezoli…
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The eighth annual #MedSafetyWeek social media campaign will take place from 6 to 12 November 2023. It will focus on the importance of reporting suspected adverse reactions to medicines and suspected problems with medical dev…
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We have simplified our medicine and device incident report systems by bringing them all under the Yellow Card Scheme.
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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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Carefully consider the benefits and risks before prescribing systemic azithromycin or other systemic macrolide antibiotics (erythromycin or clarithromycin) to patients being treated with hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine. An…
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We remind healthcare professionals that elderly patients are at an increased risk of adverse neurological and cardiac effects when being treated with haloperidol for delirium. The lowest possible dose of haloperidol should b…
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Healthcare professionals prescribing dupilumab should be alert to the risks of ocular reactions. New onset or worsening ocular symptoms require prompt review. Referral for ophthalmological examination should be made as appro…
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New recommendations following a recent clinical trial which found that in patients with type 1 hepatorenal syndrome terlipressin may cause serious or fatal respiratory failure at a frequency higher than previously known, and…
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The paediatric indication for chloral hydrate (for children aged 2 years and older) and cloral (previously chloral) betaine (children aged 12 years and older) has been restricted to short-term treatment (maximum 2 weeks) of …
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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 2019 are also summarised in this article.…
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A reminder to healthcare professionals to fill out Yellow Card reports.
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The indication of ulipristal acetate 5mg for uterine fibroids has been further restricted due to the risk of serious liver injury and liver failure, with some cases requiring liver transplantation. Although the temporary sus…
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Continued monitoring of medicines with a black triangle status.
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Prescribers and dispensers should use caution if switching patients between different metolazone preparations as the rate and extent of absorption of metolazone are formulation dependent. This can impact the bioavailability …
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A summary of recent letters, medicine recalls and notifications sent to healthcare professionals.
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Updated dosing for paediatric paracetamol liquids has been developed to ensure children receive the optimum dose for their age.
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We are no longer requesting all suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to be reported for children.
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Any healthcare professional can submit a Yellow Card, including students. When submitting a report about a medicine via the Yellow Card website, if your occupation is not available in our drop-down list, you can now select ‘…
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The Yellow Card App has been updated to make it easier to use, to have useful new features, and to support reporting a suspected reaction related to medicine exposure during pregnancy. Download the App today and let us know …
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The third-line treatment indication for rucaparib has been withdrawn following a review of the findings of the ARIEL-4 trial, which showed lower overall survival for rucaparib treatment versus standard chemotherapy in patien…
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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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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.
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Remember to report any suspected adverse reactions
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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…
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Be especially alert for adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in patients taking more than one medicine and report any suspected ADRs to the Yellow Card Scheme. Show your support for the MHRA’s ADR awareness week campaign on 17–23 F…
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We inform healthcare professionals of new risk minimisation measures for JAK inhibitors used to treat chronic inflammatory disorders, consistent with the measures introduced for tofacitinib (Xeljanz) in 2020 and 2021. This a…