Hi...I just received these two drug alerts and am passing them  on...#1)
> lists several drugs one of which has been mentioned here before...
Baclofen
> (injectable) ........ and #2 mentions bextra ..used for arthritis
> pain..(last year, before it was  "out on the shelf" as the dr put it, he
> gave me a two-month supply of samples...only took a couple of days  worth
> and didn't take the rest as I felt "funny" on it..)......Joan Hartman
>
> 1)  Sent: Monday, November 18, 2002 6:30 AM
> Subject: MedWatch - Nationwide alert concerning all injectable drugs prepa
> red by Urgent Care Pharmacy
> > MedWatch - The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting
Program
>  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a nationwide alert
> concerning all injectable drugs prepared by Urgent Care Pharmacy of
> Spartanburg, South Carolina, based on the lack of assurance that their
> > products are sterile. Non-sterility of injectable products can represent
a
> > serious hazard to health that could lead to life-threatening injuries
and
> > death. FDA inspection of Urgent Care's facility revealed the firm failed
> to
> > have adequate controls to ensure necessary sterility, including the
> absence
> > of appropriate testing for potency and sterility prior to distribution.
> > FDA is aware that Urgent Care has distributed the following injectable
> drugs
> > to physicians, hospitals, clinics and consumers in Connecticut,
Illinois,
> > Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire,
> > North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia: Baclofen, Betamethasone,
> Bimix
> > 30:1, (Phentolamine mesylate/papaverine), Clonidine, Estradiol,
> > Hydromorphone HCl, Fentanyl, Methylprednisole acetate, Morphine
> > Sulfate/Bupivacaine, Papaverine HCl, Super Trimix (Papaverine
> > HCl/phentolamine mesylate/prostaglandin), Testosterone cypionate,
> > Testosterone/Estradiol.
> > Read the MedWatch 2002 safety alert, including a link to the FDA Talk
> Paper regarding this alert, at:
> www.fda.gov/medwatch/SAFETY/2002/safety02.htm#inject
>
> 2)  FDA Warns Painkiller Can Cause Serious Reactions
> The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned that a new painkiller
> called Bextra has been associated with potentially fatal skin diseases,
and
> that anyone who develops a rash after taking it should stop the drug
> immediately.
> Since March, when Bextra sales first began, there have been about 20
> reported cases of complications arising from the drug, including the skin
> diseases Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, exfoliative
> dermatitis, and allergic reactions, the Associated Press reports.
> The FDA estimates that by the time the dangerous side effects were
reported,
> about 800,000 to 1 million people had already begun taking Bextra, which
is
> an anti-inflammatory used to treat arthritis and menstrual pain.
> Dr. Lawrence Goldkind, the agency's deputy director for painkillers, said
> there is less chance of a severe reaction occurring if users stop Bextra
at
> the first hint of a rash.
> The FDA also said anyone allergic to drugs containing sulfa should not
take
> Bextra.
> The FDA "Talk Paper" is at the following link ...
> www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/2002/ANS01170.html
>

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