Medicines: 32,000 boxes of hypertension treatment recalled in France
The quality of the tablets marketed by the American laboratory Viatris "is not in question" but "the inscription on the aluminum foil of the blister pack can be misleading because it suggests that several tablets should be taken on certain days," the ANSM stated in a press release.
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Effervescent medications: why do they work faster?
Are you familiar with a medication's dosage form? It's the form in which the medication is taken. It combines an active ingredient (the substance that has therapeutic effects) and excipients, whose role is to facilitate the administration, preservation, and transport of the active ingredient to its target.
In total, four batches of 5 mg Lisinopril are affected (batches 8172295, 8189879, 8172296, 8192737), or 32,640 boxes, according to a count obtained from the ANSM. In the event of an overdose, fatigue, balance problems, hypotension, and "impaired kidney function may occur," warns the drug regulator.
Available alternatives
One case of overdose accompanied by a non-serious confusional state has been reported, according to the ANSM. While waiting for new batches with compliant blister packs to be "soon available," no supply shortage of lisinopril is expected following this recall, according to the agency, because "alternatives are available."
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Medications: the proliferation of treatments, a danger for seniors
Pharmaceutical companies (Leem) are calling for a reduction in the number of medications taken by those over 65. "Beyond 5 medications per day, especially after age 65, ask your doctor or pharmacist if you can take fewer," urges Leem in a campaign launched on June 4 and dubbed Médicamieux. According to the professional organization, drug-induced iatrogenesis (all the adverse effects linked to taking one or more medications) is responsible for more than 200,000 hospitalizations and thousands of premature deaths each year in France. According to a study* conducted in 2018, 8.5% of hospitalizations were linked to adverse drug reactions.
