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Codeine should only be used to relieve acute moderate pain in children older than 12 years and only if it cannot be relieved by other painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen alone.
Furthermore, a significant risk of se…
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Coadministration of a corticosteroid with an HIV-treatment-boosting agent may increase the risk of adrenal suppression due to a pharmacokinetic interaction.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.
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False blood glucose readings when used to flush arterial lines leading to incorrect insulin administration and potentially fatal hypoglycaemia.
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Make a clear distinction between liposomal, pegylated-liposomal, lipid-complex and conventional formulations when prescribing, dispensing, administering, and communicating about these medicines. Medicines with these formulat…
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines.
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Use restricted to adults with advanced or metastatic breast cancer only.
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…Drug alerts were issued about Accord losartan potassium containing products and Ozurdex implants.…
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Letters were sent about Vyxeos (cytarabine, daunorubicin) and Ozurdex 700 micrograms intravitreal implant (dexamethasone). Alerts were issued about irbesartan, amoxicillin, atropine sulfate, and paracetamol infusion.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines, and a patient safety alert on mexiletine hydrochloride.
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Pharmacokinetic data indicate exposure of elvitegravir boosted with cobicistat (Genvoya▼, Stribild) is lower during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy than postpartum. Low elvitegravir exposure may be associated wi…
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Care needed when transferring from unlicensed formulations.
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Updated prescribing advice provided.
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In view of reports of serious bleeding events in patients taking miconazole and warfarin, we are considering further measures to minimise the risk of potentially serious interactions between miconazole and warfarin.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.
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Extension of the indication for nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to include harm reduction.
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Letters were sent about Insuman insulin products, mecasermin, and valproate medicines. Recalls were issued about ranitidine medicines and Paclitaxel.
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Healthcare professionals are reminded that chlorhexidine is known to induce hypersensitivity, including generalised allergic reactions and anaphylactic shock.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.
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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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Children exposed to valproate in utero are at high risk of developmental disorders and congenital malformations. Use the new communication materials below to discuss these risks with patients
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines.
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In April 2016, letters were sent regarding canagliflozin (Invokana▼, Vokanamet▼), BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors, pomalidomide (Imnovid▼), and retigabine (Trobalt)
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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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Don't apply aqueous calamine cream onto the skin before an X-ray examination because it may affect the outcome of the radiograph.
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Patients with complete or partial dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency are at increased risk of severe and fatal toxicity during treatment with these medicines. All patients should be tested for DPD deficiency be…
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A certification mark has been designed and launched as an additional visible symbol.
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We remind healthcare professionals that accidental use of glucose-containing solutions as flush fluid for arterial lines may contaminate blood samples and result in falsely high glucose readings. This may lead to inappropriate insulin administration and subsequent hypoglycaemia.…
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Recent clinical trials have shown increased mortality when bendamustine (Levact) was used in combination treatments outside its approved indications. Be aware that the risk of opportunistic infections for all patients receiv…
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Maximum dose of lorazepam for short term, symptomatic treatment is 4 mg per day for severe, disabling anxiety, and 2 mg per day for severe, disabling insomnia
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A patient alert card is being introduced for men taking finasteride to help raise awareness of the risk of psychiatric side effects and sexual dysfunction, including the potential for sexual dysfunction to persist after trea…
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A summary of letters sent to healthcare professionals in September 2016, including important information for professionals who specialise in epilepsy treatment regarding the withdrawal from the market of retigabine (Trobalt).
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Best practice example of a patient information leaflet.
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…Other alerts were issued about paracetamol tablets, docetaxel injection, Baxter potassium-chloride-containing intravenous infusions, and Emerade adrenaline auto-injectors.…
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A summary of letters sent to healthcare professionals, including an important reminder about the withdrawal of retigabine (Trobalt) from the market.
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Risks of Nicobrevin outweigh any benefits.
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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 ibrutinib, daclizumab, aflibercept, valproate medicines, and arsenic trioxide.
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Alerts were issued about Telefunken automated external defibrillators and BD Microtainer capillary blood specimen collection tubes.
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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.
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We are running a social media campaign to promote the reporting of suspected adverse drug reactions to the Yellow Card Scheme in support of an awareness week from 7 to 11 November 2016. The main message of the campaign is th…
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Letters were sent about Cetrotide (cetrorelix acetate), Eperzan▼(albiglutide), darunavir/cobicistat, Keytruda▼ (pembrolizumab), Denzapine (clozapine) 50 mg/mL oral suspension, and Bleo-Kyowa (bleomycin sulphate).
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Domperidone is no longer licensed for use in children younger than 12 years or those weighing less than 35 kg. Results from a placebo-controlled study in children younger than 12 years with acute gastroenteritis did not show…
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A summary of letters and recent medicine recalls and notifications sent to healthcare professionals.
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There have been very rare reports of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) and reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) with pseudoephedrine.
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Fezolinetant treatment is associated with a risk of drug induced liver injury. New recommendations have been introduced to minimise this risk. Liver function should be monitored before and during treatment in all patients ta…
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We have launched a public consultation on the proposal to reclassify codeine linctus to a prescription-only medicine.
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Cutaneous amyloidosis at the injection site has been reported in patients using insulin and this may affect glycaemic control. Remind patients to rotate injection sites within the same body region.
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We inform healthcare professionals of the recent campaign to promote awareness of the risk and new resources available to support safe use following previous advice to health and care professionals.