Current Drug Safety - Volume 5, Issue 2, 2010

Thalidomide is the most notorious example of a drug with serious adverse effects [1] that was initially declared to be safe [2]. This disastrous episode had a major influence on the stringency of pharmaceutical regulation and had a similarly great effect on what could be advertised legally. However, the same stringency does not seem to apply to scientific journals reporting on the safety of drugs. Investigators are allowed to Read More

Lung cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed malignancies and it causes more than 1 million deaths each year worldwide. Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for about 15 to 20% of all lung cancers and it is an extremely aggressive cancer, having a response rate of 60-80% with the standard first-line chemotherapy (CT). Topotecan is a topoisomerase I inhibitor currently approved for relapsed SCLC. The authors r Read More

Black cohosh (Actaea racemosa L. [syn. Cimifuga racemosa L.]) extracts (BCE) are marketed worldwide for the management of menopausal symptoms. However, recently more than 75 cases of hepatotoxicity associated with black cohosh ingestion have been reported. While these cases have not been fully substantiated for causality, the data suggest that herb-drug interactions may be involved rather than a direct hepato Read More

Nitrofurantoin lung toxicity was diagnosed among ten patients receiving 50 mg/day to prevent recurrent urinary tract infection. In six patients a symptomatic period of 3-36 months preceded the diagnosis. All but one patient, with irreversible lung injury at presentation recovered completely, five after drug discontinuation and four after steroids therapy. Large amount of data regarding unexpected, sometimes severe pulmona Read More

Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is a common disorder associated with significant distress. We report three cases of drug induced RLS caused by olanzapine. In each case, RLS commenced after initiation of treatment with olanzapine and resolved after ceasing olanzapine. All three patients were subsequently treated with other atypical antipsychotics, risperidone, quetiapine or aripiprazole, without re-emergence of RLS. RLS Read More

Formal retraction notice of article entitled Clinical Management of Postoperative Vomiting after Strabismus Surgery in Children (Curr Drug Saf. 2010 Apr; 5(2):132-48) by Dr Y. Fujii. This article is being retracted as a result of: Failure of Dr. Fijii's institution as well as of himself to rationalize the legitimacy of the study and/or its data as stipulated in request by the Editors-in-Chief of the journals extended on April 9, 2012. Bentham Read More

Paliperidone, the active metabolite of risperidone is a relatively recent introduction for the treatment of schizophrenia. There is paucity of data regarding the use of paliperidone in elderly patients. We have attempted to highlight the prominent aspects of the use of paliperidone in the geriatric population. The limited data indicate that paliperidone may be effective and safe in the treatment of schizophrenia in the elderly.

Over the past 15 years, the number of studies investigating the potential teratogenic effects of antidepressants has drastically increased. Prescribing antidepressants during pregnancy is becoming a challenge for health care providers because of conflicting data on their teratogenic potential. A critical systematic review of studies describing the relationship between antidepressant use during pregnancy and its impact Read More

The thrombopoiesis-stimulating agents (TSAs) are a novel class of drugs for the treatment of chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). Roimplostim and eltrombopag, the first two TSAs to enter clinical use, received regulatory approval in 2008 and stand poised to change the treatment paradigm in ITP. However, important questions regarding the safety of these agents, particularly with long-term use, remain partially unanswered. Read More

Glucocorticoid therapy, the mainstay treatment of many chronic diseases, has many complications including osteoporosis. Premenopausal women requiring glucocorticoids are at a significant risk of developing glucocortiocoid-induced osteoporosis. Bisphosphonate therapy is a vital option in the prevention and treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. Animal studies with bisphosphonates have displayed maternal toxicity, Read More