What some consumers may not realize is that the FDA releases approved safety-related labeling changes through their website on a regular basis. As a matter of fact, this month there were changes to over 50 different medications.
It should go without saying, but updates to our drug labels are incredibly important. These updates provide healthcare providers and consumers like you with new information about critical warnings or precautions, black box warnings and updates on how to prescribe certain medications to special populations, like pregnant women and children. The updates help with decision making and help people to monitor what they should look out for while taking a drug. However, these updates also raise more concerns than not. One question that can easily be raised is why are these updates happening now and is there a system in place to ensure consumers (not just healthcare providers) know about these changes right away?
Safest Drug’s position is that these safety labeling changes must be communicated to anyone who has taken the medication as soon as those are made available. Any consumer would want to know if their medication had new warnings. It’s a no brainer. Additionally, these safety labeling changes highlight how much is not known about a medication until it is on the market and being taken by a much larger consumer population than when the drug was tested in a small population of human subjects prior to FDA approval.
We will continue to monitor these safety labeling changes but, for now, here is a snapshot of the specifically named medications that had approved updates to their labeling this month:
Adderall XR 10
Albenza
Anaprox
Atropine (Autoinjector)
Aubagio
Austedo
Avonex
Bevyxxa
Caldolor
Cerebyx
Copaxone
Darzalex
Dextrose 5% and Potassium Chloride 0.3% in Plastic Container
Dilantin-125
Docetaxel
Droxia
Duexis
EC-Naprosyn
Exjade
Gadavist
Glyxambi
Heparin Sodium 1,000 Units & Sodium Chloride 0.9% in Plastic Container
Imfinzi
Janumet
Janumet XR
Januvia
Jentadueto
Jentadueto XR
Jeuveau
Kazano
Kombiglyze XR
Lialda
Lymphoseek Kit
Megace
Mekinist
Naprelan
Naprosyn
Nesina
Ocrevus
Onglyza
Oseni
Pentasa
Plegridy
Potassium Chloride
Qtern
Qternment XR
Rapamune
Rebif
Serevent
Steglujan
Tafinlar
Tecfidera
Tradjenta
Treximet
Trintellix
Vimovo
Zyban
Do you recognize any from the list?
To search the FDA’s safety labeling changes database and review exactly what was updated for any of these medications, click here.