Some doctors ill informed on SJS

Even though the Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning about the risks of Stevens-Johnson syndrome linked to acetaminophen, some doctors may not be aware that the condition has also been associated with certain antiepileptic drugs.

The FDA recently informed the public that people who take acetaminophen could develop SJS, which is a rare but serious skin rash that can be fatal. And even though the FDA is attempting to spread the word about SJS in acetaminophen users, a new report has found that the agency is not doing enough to educate doctors about the link between the condition and AEDs.

A survey published in Epilepsy and Behavior found that approximately 20 percent of neurologists are not aware of major known risks, such as SJS, with AEDs, despite being exposed to multiple sources of information.

Dr. Gregory L Krauss, professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, told Medscape Medical News that there just isn't a good systematic method for getting safety information out about drugs

Krauss said that notices from the FDA's adverse event reporting program often get buried in an email system and are often overlooked.

The FDA's warning about acetaminophen and the risk of SJS actually came after its reporting system uncovered 107 cases of adverse skin reactions between 1969 and 2012. Of those cases, 67 people were hospitalized and 12 died.