The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has published Drug Safety Update for December 2008 (PDF).
This issue contains a summary of the achievements of the Yellow Card scheme in 2008, a seasonal quiz of drug safety knowledge and stop press summaries for the following areas:
- Conventional (typical) antipsychotics: increased mortality in dementia
- Prograf and Advagraf (tacrolimus): serious medication errors
- Norfloxacin: restricted use in urinary infections
- Hedrin: keep treated hair away from sources of fire
- Melanotan: an unlicensed medicine, the risks of which are unknown
- Tigecycline reformulation affects compatibility: correction
Action: Clinicians will find this publication to be a useful review of current issues in drug safety.