Europe to Consider Limiting Use of Eprex
December 3, 2002
European health regulators are considering banning the use of the anemia drug Eprex in patients with chronic kidney failure due to an increasing number of reports that the medication may cause pure red cell aplasia (PRCA), a condition characterized by a near absence of red blood cell precursors that leaves many sufferers dependent on transfusions to survive. The European Union's drug safety monitors are reportedly discussing the possibility of the ban, which was proposed by French health officials.
Eprex's link to PRCA has been a concern in the medical community for months. In June, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration officially confirmed the drug's link to the disorder in a letter published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Last fall, Johnson & Johnson, Eprex's maker, issued a warning letter to physicians concerning the potential for the side effect.
-- Article Courtesy of InjuryBoard.com
More ...
- Reports of Red-Blood Cell Aplasia Increasing Among Eprex Users
- New Report Links Eprex to Blood Disorder
- Eprex Maker to Add Warning to Drug's Label
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