Prescription Products
Glivec capsules
Composition: Imatinib
(as mesilate) 100mg.
Presentation: Capsules.
Class: Protein-tyrosine kinase inhibitor.
Indications: Treatment of adults (aged 18 years
and over) with Philadelphia chromosome positive chronic myeloid leukaemia
in chronic phase after failure of interferon-alpha therapy, or in accelerated
phase or blast crisis.
Major cautions and precautions: To minimise the
risk of gastrointestinal irritations, imatinib should be taken with food
and a large glass of water. Imatinib should not be used in patients with
severe hepatic impairment unless clearly necessary. Caution is recommended
in severe renal insufficiency. Patients should be weighed regularly. Caution
should be taken when co-administering imatinib with: CYP3A4 inhibitors
(eg, itraconazole, ketoconazole, clarithromycin, erythromycin); CYP3A4
inducers (eg, dexamethasone, phenytoin, carbamazepine, rifampicin, phenobarbital,
St John's Wort); CYP3A4 substrates with a narrow therapeutic window (eg,
ciclosporin, pimozide). Patients should be warned to avoid or restrict
the use of over-the-counter and prescription medicines containing paracetamol.
Imatinib should not be used during pregnancy unless clearly necessary.
Women taking imatinib should not breast-feed.
Side effects: Very common (>10 per cent) adverse
events include anaemia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, headache, nausea,
vomiting, diarrhoea, dyspepsia, rash, oedema, muscle cramps.
Legal category: POM.
Net price: 120 capsules £1,557.36.
Contact details: Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Frimley
Business Park, Frimley, Camberley, Surrey GU16 7SR. Medical information,
tel 01276 698370, fax 01276 698449; customer care (for orders), tel 0845
741 9442, fax 0845 741 9443.
See SPC for further details.
Metronidazole tablets
Metronidazole 200mg and 400mg tablets, pack size
21, have been launched (APS/Berk); net price, 200mg £1.31, 400mg £1.51.
Methadone injection
Synastone (methadone hydrochloride) 10mg/ml injection
has been launched (Auden Mckenzie Pharma Division); net price, 10 ampoules
1ml £8.95, 2ml £14.50, 3.5ml £17.83, 5ml £19.23. Further information can
be obtained from Auden Mckenzie Pharma Division, Unit 30, Stadium Business
Centre, North End Road, Middlesex HA9 0AT.
Nitrofurantoin suspension
Nitrofurantoin suspension 25mg/5ml, pack size 300ml,
is being launched and will be available from 1 December (Goldshield Pharmaceuticals);
net price, £65.
Ephedrine injection
Ephedrine hydrochloride 30mg/ml concentrate for
solution for injection is being launched in 1ml ampoules (Torbay Pharmaceutical
Manufacturing Unit); net price, 10 £10. Further information can be obtained
by contacting customer services, Torbay PMU (tel 01803 664707).
Miacalcic nasal spray
Miacalcic (synthetic salmon calcitonin) nasal spray,
200iu per metered dose, is now licensed for the treatment of established
postmenopausal osteoporosis (Novartis Pharmaceuticals); net price, 2ml
£20.99. The recommended dose is 200iu per day. Each 2ml bottle delivers
14 metered doses.
Neupogen Singleject
Neupogen (filgrastim) Singleject 30 million units
(300µg) and 48 million units (480µg) in 0.5ml prefilled syringes have
been launched (Amgen); net price, 30 million units 5 £367.80, 48 million
units 5 £586.61. Neupogen Singleject prefilled syringes have a 27-gauge
needle (length 12mm) attached. See below also.
Exelderm cream
Exelderm (sulconazole nitrate) 1 per cent cream,
pack size 30g, previously a prescription only medicine, has been reclassified
as a pharmacy medicine (Bioglan Laboratories); retail price, £5.29.
Isotard XL tablets
The marketing authorisations for Isotard XL (isosorbide
mononitrate) 25mg, 40mg, 50mg and 60mg tablets are being transferred from
Galen to Strakan. Strakan expects that this will happen by the end of
December. In the meantime all medical enquiries should be directed to
Galen. For order-related enquiries, Strakan should be contacted (tel 01264
325315, fax 01264 362108).
Kytril preparations
The marketing authorisations for all Kytril preparations
have been transferred from GlaxoSmithKline to Roche Products.
Prograf preparations
From 3 December, the responsibility for distributing
Prograf (tacrolimus) 0.5mg, 1mg and 5mg capsules and 5mg/5ml ampoules
will be transferred from Healthcare Logistics to Farillon.
Tegretol liquid
Tegretol (carbamazepine) liquid is now slightly
thinner in consistency because of a change in one of the excipients (Novartis
Pharmaceuticals). Further information can be obtained from Cephalon UK
(tel 0800 783 4869).
Back to Top
|
