Class | Name/Company | Drug Warning |
Antibiotic | Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid Augmentin®
SmithKline Beecham | The UK Committee on Safety of Medicines recommends that, because of the risk of cholestatic jaundice, amoxicillin should be used instead of Augmentin, unless beta-lactamase producing bacteria are suspected of causing the infection. Use of Augmentin® longer than two weeks increases the risk of jaundice and should usually be avoided. |
Anti-HIV | Indinavir, Crixivan®, Merck; Nelfinavir, Viracept®, Agouron; Ritonavir, Norvir®, Abbott; Saquinavir, Invirase®, Roche; | The FDA has issued a letter warning of diabetes mellitus and hyperglycemia developing in patients receiving protease inhibitors. Causality has not been clearly established. These adverse effects occur relatively infrequently, and protease inhibitors should not be discontinued without medical advice. |
Indinavir Crixivan®
Merck | Prescribing information is to be updated, US and worldwide, to include warnings about the possibility of patients developing hemolytic anemia. According to Merck, 20 cases have been reported in 140,000 patients and no causal link has been established, but this warning is appropriate as the condition needs to be recognized and treated quickly. |
Anti-psoriasis Antiproliferative | Acitretin Soriatane®, Neotigason®
Roche | An FDA advisory panel agreed with the position taken by the FDA, in recommending that women taking acitretin avoid pregnancy for at least three years after treatment stops. Although the FDA approved acitretin last year, Roche objected to the labelling proposed and have not yet commenced marketing in the US. In Europe and other markets, the restriction is for two years. (Scrip April 25th, 1997: 19) |