Watchdog reveals new medicine list

MEDICINES watchdog Afssaps has published a list of 77 drugs that it has under extended surveillance as part of the fall-out over the slimming and diabetes drug Mediator, which has been blamed for 500, and possibly 2,000, deaths.

Health minister Xavier Bertrand said the list was being published to show the present state of the medicines alert programme.

The Agence française de sécurité sanitaire des produits de santé said that patients already using the following drugs should continue to take them as part of their treatment, the checks were being made as a precaution. The drugs are:

Actos (diabetes), Alli (slimming), Arcoxia (arthritis), Arixtra (anticoagulant), Blue Patente V (food colouring), Byetta (diabetes), Celance(Parkinson’s), Cervarix (HIV), Champix (smoking), Cimzia (Crohn’s and rheumatoid arthritis), Colokit (colon cancer check), Cymbalta (depression);

Dextropropoxyphene (pain relief), Efient (heart problems), Ellaone (day-after pill), Equanil (tranquiliser), Exjade (anaemia), Fentanyl (analgesic), Ferrisat (anaemia), Fonzylane (vasodilator), Galvus and Eucreas (diabetes), Gardasil (human papillomavirus), Glivec (leukaemia), Hexaquine (cramps), Intrinsa (testosterone), Isentres (anti-HIV), Isotretinoine (acne);

Janumet and Januvia (diabetes), Ketum (tendonitis), Lantus (diabetes), Levothyrox (thyroid), Lipiosis (liver problems), Lyrica (seizures), Mepronizine (insomnia), Meopa (pain relief), Methadone (opiate substitute), Ritalin (attention deficit disorder), Mynocine (acne), Multaq (heart problems), Nexen (anti-inflammatory), Furantidine (cystitis);

Noctran (insomnia), Onglyza (diabetes), Orencia (rheumatoid arthritis), Parlodel (lactation problems), Pedea (newborns), Pholcodein (cough relief), Pradaxa (thrombosis), Praxinor (hypertension), Prevenar (child pneumonia), Primalan (allergies), Procoralan (angina), Protelos (osteoporosis), Protopic (dermatitis), Revlemid (melanoma), Revotril (child epilepsy), Roacterma (rheumatoid arthritis), Rohypnol (insomnia);

Soriatane (psoriasis), Stablon (depression), Stelara (psoriasis), Stilnox (insomnia), Subutex (opiate substitute), Thalidomide Celgen (myeloma), Toctino (eczema), Tramadol (pain relief), Trivastal (Parkinson’s), Tysabri (multiple sclerosis), Valdoxan (depression), Vasterel (angina), Vfend (fungal infection), Victoza (diabetes);

Xarelto (deep vein thrombosis), Xyrem (narcolepsy), Zypadhera (schizophrenia), Zyban (smoking), Zyvoxid (antibiotic).