FDA has issued a safety alert, warning patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals about the dangers of accidental exposure to and improper storage and disposal of fentanyl patches.
FDA has issued a safety alert, warning patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals about the dangers of accidental exposure to and improper storage and disposal of fentanyl patches.
The fentanyl transdermal patch is marketed under the brand name Duragesic and also is available as a generic product. Fentanyl is an opioid pain reliever used to treat chronic pain by releasing the medication over the course of 3 days. According to FDA, there have been 26 cases of accidental exposure to the patch medication since 1997, with 10 incidents resulting in death and 12 in hospitalization. Sixteen of these 26 cases have involved children younger than 2 years old.
Due to their curiosity, these toddlers are at particular risk of accidental exposure by swallowing the patch or adhering the patch to themselves as a sticker. They may find patches that have been improperly stored, those that have fallen off, or haphazardly placed in easy-to-reach trash areas. FDA also warns that patches that are not secured may detach and transfer to a child when he or she is being held.
Overdoses of fentanyl can slow breathing and increase levels of carbon dioxide in the blood, resulting in serious side effects, including death.
FDA recommends that healthcare professionals educate patients and caregivers about the appropriate use and disposal of fentanyl patches. This includes folding used or left-over patches in half on the sticky side and securing and then flushing them down the toilet rather than placing them in the trash.
Any cases of accidental exposure should be reported immediately to FDA’s MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting program here.
Coalition promotes important acetaminophen dosing reminders
November 18th 2014It may come as a surprise that each year Americans catch approximately 1 billion colds, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that as many as 20% get the flu. This cold and flu season, 7 in 10 patients will reach for an over-the-counter (OTC) medicine to treat their coughs, stuffy noses, and sniffles. It’s an important time of the year to remind patients to double check their medicine labels so they don’t double up on medicines containing acetaminophen.
Support consumer access to specialty medications through value-based insurance design
June 30th 2014The driving force behind consumer cost-sharing provisions for specialty medications is the acquisition cost and not clinical value. This appears to be true for almost all public and private health plans, says a new report from researchers at the University of Michigan Center for Value-Based Insurance Design (V-BID Center) and the National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC).
Management of antipsychotic medication polypharmacy
June 13th 2013Within our healthcare-driven society, the increase in the identification and diagnosis of mental illnesses has led to a proportional increase in the prescribing of psychotropic medications. The prevalence of mental illnesses and subsequent treatment approaches may employ monotherapy as first-line treatment, but in many cases the use of combination of therapy can occur, leading to polypharmacy.1 Polypharmacy can be defined in several ways but it generally recognized as the use of multiple medications by one patient and the most common definition is the concurrent use of five more medications. The presence of polyharmacy has the potential to contribute to non-compliance, drug-drug interactions, medication errors, adverse events, or poor quality of life.
Medical innovation improves outcomes
June 12th 2013I have been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer of the pancreas, a disease that’s long been considered not just incurable, but almost impossible to treat-a recalcitrant disease that some practitioners feel has given oncology a bad name. I was told my life would be measured in weeks.