Arthritis drugs banned
NZPA-AP London Citing possibly lethal side-effects, the British Government is banning two powerful painkilling drugs that have been prescribed to arthritis sufferers for 20 years, the Department of Health and Social Services announced. The drugs tandacote and tanderil, which contain a chemical called oxyphenbutazone, are to be withdrawn from prescription counters by June 8, the Under-Secre-tary of Health, Mr Kenneth Clarke, said in a written statement to the House of Commons.
A department spokesman, Mr Martin Smith, said that
doctors had long known about the drugs’ side-effects but had felt the benefits outweighed the risks. British doctors registered 503 cases of severe sideeffects, including intestinal disorders and high blood pressure, since the drugs were introduced in 1964, said Mr Smith. In 131 cases, the drug was thought to have contributed to a patient’s death.
Britain had instructed the drugs’ Swiss manufacturer, Geigy Pharmaceuticals, to write to doctors and pharmacies to inform them that the drug was no longer available, he said.
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Press, 18 May 1984, Page 7
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164Arthritis drugs banned Press, 18 May 1984, Page 7
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