Ministry warns against substance in drugs
Based on a warning from the US Food and Drug Administration, the Ministry of Health and Community Protection issued a circular warning of 4 pharmaceutical medications containing the active substance febuxostat, which may cause sudden death related to heart.
The mentioned medications are used to treat gout, according to the Ministry, that advised patients to inform their doctors if they have heart problems, or have suffered from a stroke. Health care practitioners were also advised to inform their patients about cardiovascular risks when using any of the medication.
Earlier, The Ministry of Health and Prevention issued four circulars to pharmaceuticals for withdrawal of certain medicines.
Dr Amin Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary of Public Health Policy and Licenses and Chairman for Supreme Pharma covigilance Commitee, issued a circular based on the US Food & Drug Administration’s warning against the use of 75 products containing chlorhexidine, because they cause severe allergic reactions that may occur in minutes including difficult breathing, facial swelling and skin rash.
Chlorhexidine is a life-threatening substance if the patient is not paid immediate medical attention. It is found in disinfectants, detergents, skin pharmaceuticals, mouthwash, toothpastes, eye drops, lens solutions, urinary catheters, antimicrobials, dental implants, venous and central catheterization and some other over-the-counter products. While companies should modify the warnings in their medicine descriptions, a patient experiencing any allergic reaction should stop using the medicine.
In another circular, the ministry warned people against ‘lemtrade 12 mg solution for infusion’. The manufacturer updated its recommendations for the use of the product, which reportedly caused respiratory disorder in patients with multiple sclerosis within 48 hours from taking the substance. The ministry recommended that medicine producers should add warnings in their medicine descriptions that would include the risks.