Berlex, which makes Betaseron (interferon beta-1b), has issued a warning regarding the drug’s adverse effects on the liver. Used to slow the progression of multiple sclerosis, the drug can cause autoimmune hepatitis, leading to kidney failure, and...
The drugs regulators, those sentinels at the gate who ensure our safety from dangerous prescription drugs, can sometimes be slow to act. It is now 18 months since we predicted the imminent withdrawal of Arava (leflunomide),
Interferon is a protein produced by the body to fight viruses. It works by boosting the immune system. Alpha-interferon is a ‘recombinant’ or artificially produced version of the body’s own interferon.
Drug manufacturers very much work according to the maxim of 'Waste not, want not'. Take thalidomide, for instance - and, in fact, many people in developing nations still do.
Evidence remains confused as to whether the drug isoniazid, used as a preventative for those at risk of tuberculosis, can cause fatal liver damage. ...
Paroxetine (marketed in the UK as Seroxat and in the US as Paxil) is an antidepressant that has been blamed for causing chronic hepatitis. The drug, manufactured by Smithkline Beecham, is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI),
Q:Our son Ian died last year. He was 35, mentally handicapped and had epilepsy. He lived with us at home. He used to take Epilim, Tegretol and folic acid every day. Last year he was prescribed ...
Reader's Corner
The so-called ‘atypical antipsychotic drugs’ have been hailed as a pharmaceutical breakthrough and have, by now, largely replaced the old guard of neuroleptics. However, a recent overview of these modern medicines questions the claim that this new...
What Doctors Don't Tell You