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April 02, 2007
Zelnorm Pulled From Market
Keeping with their mission to protect the public health by ensuring the safety of medications, the FDA has requested that Novartis Pharmaceuticals 'discontinue marketing' the medication Zelnorm, used for treatment of irritable bowel syndrome and constipation in women. 29 clinical studies involving over 11,000 patients have shown that Zelnorm increased the incidence of serious cardiovascular side effects, including heart attack and stroke.
In increasing Phase 4 monitoring of medications, it is likely that more medications may be removed from the market in response to undesirable safety profiles. It is therefore essential that pharmacists keep track of those medications that have been deemed unsafe, and educate themselves about alternative, safer medications to recommend to patients.
For more information about Zelnorm, visit http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/advisory/tegaserod.htm
Posted by kwiatkg at April 2, 2007 07:13 PM