Health activists in the UK are taking it upon themselves to warn doctors away from Prexige, Novartis' Cox-2 arthritis remedy. Drug regulators in Britain and Europe are sifting through safety data on the painkiller after eight cases of severe liver damage caused Australia to ban it.
The UK says it's received 16 adverse reactions reports, including one of a liver reaction. But, the regulators stress, the Australian patients who suffered--and in two cases, died--from the drug's effect on their liver were taking double the 100 mg dose routinely prescribed in the UK. According to Novartis, Australia was the only country in the world where 200 mg once-daily tablets were sold. Unfortunately for Novartis, the dosage distinction may be lost on consumers--and the activists who advise them.
- read the report from The Guardian