Posted by Shy_Girl on May 7, 2005, at 0:00:42
A friend suggested this should be posted
HEALTH CANADA ADVISES CANADIANS TO CHECK MEDICATIONS,
INCLUDING PAXILHealth Canada has advised Canadians - especially those
with asthma - who use certain medications to verify
that their medication contains the correct tablets.
Among the medications in question are Paxil
(paroxetine hydrochloride), Paxil CR and
ratio-Paroxetine, which are used to treat depressive
disorders.The other medications in question are Avandamet,
Avandia (rosiglitazone maleate), Coreg (carvedilol),
and Relafen (nabumetone), all of which, like Paxil and
Paxil CR, are manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline.
Ratio-Paroxetine is distributed by ratiopharm.Health Canada's advisory was issued April 22, 2005, a
week after GlaxoSmithKline issued an advisory to
health care professionals regarding some tablets
manufactured at the drug company's Cidra, Puerto Rico
facility. Ratio-Paroxetine is manufactured at the same
facility. Health Canada's advisory says that due to
"problems with the manufacturing process" at the
facility, "there is a small chance that a tablet of
another drug could be present in a patient's
prescription." There have been no reports in Canada of
incorrect medication being found in a prescription for
the medications in question. These medications are
produced in bottles and blister packs; Health Canada
says that Paxil and ratio-Paroxetine in blister packs
are not affected by the advisory.Health Canada advises that patients should continue to
take medications as directed, and to contact their
pharmacist or physician should they have any questions
or concerns. GlaxoSmithKline's advisory emphasizes
that the findings of recent plant inspections present
"an extremely low risk to patients." GlaxoSmithKline
is asking all pharmacies that use automatic dispensers
to either manually dispense or visually inspect these
medications until further notice. Patients are advised
to check the appearance of their medications before
taking them, and to immediately contact their
pharmacist or doctor if they notice any differences.Health Canada says that people with asthma should be
particularly careful, because taking a Coreg tablet
(which is used to treat heart problems) could increase
the risk of a serious asthma attack.The GlaxoSmithKline advisory says that "a very small
number of Paxil CR tablets could split," and although
the manufacturer has sorted and removed split tablets,
"there is a remote possibility that patients could
receive a portion of a tablet that lacks active
ingredient, or alternatively a portion that contains
active ingredient and does not have the intended
controlled-release effect." Also, some tablets of
Avandamet - used to treat type 2 diabetes - may not
have a uniform amount of one of the active ingredients
in that product. The advisory adds that
GlaxoSmithKline and Health Canada do not believe these
findings pose a significant health risk.
poster:Shy_Girl
thread:494775
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050504/msgs/494775.html