Painkiller withdrawn over suicide risk (U.K.)

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Mon, 31 Jan 2005 04:41:35 -0800

[Zepps_News] #Painkiller withdrawn over suicide risk

 

 

 

<http://society.guardian.co.uk/health/news/0,8363,1402490,00.html>

 

Painkiller withdrawn over suicide risk

 

Staff and agencies

Monday January 31, 2005

 

A widely used painkiller is to be phased out in the UK because of its

links to around 400 accidental and intentional fatal overdoses per year,

the government's medicines watchdog is expected to announce tomorrow.

 

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will

announce the phasing out of the drug, co-proxamol, over 18 months,

starting almost immediately. Letters will be sent to GPs informing them

of the decision.

 

A Department of Health spokeswoman said the decision had been taken

because of health professionals' concerns that the strength of the drug

posed a " small, but fatal risk of people accidentally or intentionally

overdosing on it " .

 

The drug, used to treat a range of conditions including back pain and

arthritis, is linked to around 400 of these deaths every year.

 

Measures have already been taken to address concerns about the medicine

including making advice more prominent on the packaging, but they did

not seem to affect the number of deaths, the spokeswoman said.

 

Last year, the MHRA held a public consultation looking for further

evidence about the risks and benefits of the medicine but it came to the

decision to withdraw co-proxamol.

 

A spokeswoman for the agency said that people who are taking the drug

did not need to come off it immediately. She added: " At their next

routine appointment with their GP they need to go along and talk about

alternative treatment. "

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