Posts Tagged ‘ Dilantin ’

SJS: to Screen or not to Screen?

July 29th, 2009. By LucyC

In March of this year, the FDA announced that it would be investigating the anti-epileptic drugs phenytoin and fosphenytoin in connection with their potential to cause Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). (fyi, Phenytoin is marketed as Dilantin, Phenytek and generics. Fosphenytoin sodium is marketed as Cerebyx and generics.)

One of the factors that may have played into the FDA investigation is a reported higher incidence of SJS in Asian patients taking these drugs, specifically Asians who test positive for the human leukocyte antigen allele HLA-B*1502. 

While the FDA reports that as much as 15 percent of the population in China, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines may have this allele, they don’t believe there’s enough information to warrant testing for the allele in the US for patients of Asian ancestry—yet. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Cerebyx, Dilantin, SJS, Stevens Johnson Syndrome
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