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Overdose warning as patients urged to take care
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A SHANGHAI pharmaceutical company said yesterday that patients should buy drugs according to pharmacists’ or physicians’ directions and read instructions carefully before taking them.
The Sino-American Shanghai Squibb Pharmaceuticals statement followed a US Food and Drug Administration recommendation last week that healthcare professionals stop prescribing drugs containing more than 325 milligrams of acetaminophen per dosage unit.
The recommendation does not apply to over-the-counter drugs such as Tylenol by Johnson & Johnson’s and Sino-American Shanghai Squibb Pharmaceuticals’ Bufferin series tablets, which contain high levels of acetaminophen, but the FDA said it would deal with OTC products in another regulatory action.
“Many consumers are often unaware that many products (both prescription and OTC) contain acetaminophen, making it easy to accidentally take too much,” the FDA said.
Bufferin has 500 mg of acetaminophen per tablet while Johnson & Johnson’s Tylenol has 325 mg per unit.
Liver damage
Acetaminophen is also widely used as an OTC pain and fever medication, and is often combined with other ingredients, such as cough and cold remedies, the FDA said.
It said previously that most cases of liver damage occur in patients who take more than the maximum recommended dose of 4,000 mg in 24 hours.
Sharon Xia, pharmacist-in-charge at Shanghai East International Medical Center, said the international standard of acetaminophen dosage for an adult is 4,000 mg per day, and an overdose could lead to liver damage.
“Common symptoms of liver damage include nausea and loss of appetite,” she said.
Squibb Pharmaceuticals said liver failure patients were forbidden from taking Bufferin series products and in its adverse reaction notification it warns that taking the drugs in high dosages over a long time could lead to liver malfunction.
“We’ll keep a close eye on relevant directives or recommendations from the US FDA and keep up communication with the local food and drug administration to stick to local laws and regulations,” the company said in the statement.
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