New Delhi: Nine commonly used painkillers,
antibiotics and cholesterol controlling medicines have come
under the scanner of the Union Health Ministry for adverse
side affects, including death and congenital disability.
The Ministry identified the nine drugs as part of its
national vigilance programme launched today to monitor drugs
that have adverse drug reactions so as to build a database to
help in recommending withdrawal of such medicines and their
suspension, if needed.
These drugs are `Rosuvastatin` used as lipid lowering
cholesterol-control agent, COX-2 Inhibitors, Analgen and
Phenylbutazone used as pain killers, Nimesulide another pain
killer, Phenylpropylamine prescribed as nasal decongestant,
Thioridazine an antipsychotic drug, Furazolidone an
anti-dysentery drug and Gatifloxacin an antibiotic.
"Focused monitoring on the nine drugs have been decided
today by the team of national pharmacovigilance program. These
are those drugs that have reported of side effects in Indian
population," Dr Y K Gupta, head of the department of
pharmacology AIIMS, who is also part of the programme said.The National Pharmacovigilance Program started under the
Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation of the Ministry is
looking at side effects which could cause death, disability,
hospitalisation, congenital anomaly and which have life
threatening aspects.
PTI