Web site opened for suspect pharmaceuticals

Friday 5th September, 2008  

The US Food and Drug Administration has developed a web site to list drugs being evaluated for potential safety issues.

The information will be posted as part of the 2007 Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act, where the agency must post quarterly information on adverse-event reports submitted by ...

The current list covers 20 drugs including the anesthetic Desflurane, which has been linked to cardiac arrest and nitroglycerin which is used to treat angina.

Other drugs on the list include Tysabri, which is used to treat multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease and has been linked to melanoma, and Tyzeka, which treats hepatitis B and has been linked to damage to the nervous system.

FDA officials have emphasised that people taking drugs on the list should not stop taking them.