FDA warns of HIV drug mix-up

April 12, 2007

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that bottles of HIV drug Ziagen may have been mislabeled as Combivir, another HIV drug.

The FDA and GlaxoSmithKline, which makes both drugs, said it appears the bottles were tampered with by a third party that used counterfeit labels to mislead readers about the contents, WebMD reported Thursday.

GlaxoSmithKline said in a letter to pharmacists that no injuries have been reported from the tampering. However, Ziagen's active ingredient may cause hypersensitivity reactions in some patients that could be life threatening.

"These incidents appear to be isolated and limited in scope to one pharmacy in California," the FDA said.

The labels on the tampered bottles were identified as Lot No. 6ZP9760 with expiration dates of April 2010 and April 2009.

Combivir tablets are white and have "GX FC3" engraved on one side, while Ziagen tablets are yellow and read "GX 623" on one side.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International


print this article email this article download pdf blog this article bookmark this article     Stumble it Digg this share on Facebook retweet share on Reddit add to delicious
Rate this story - not rated yet


April 12, 2007 all stories

Comments: 0

not rated yet
  • Stumble this up

  • Digg this

  • share this

  • hide
  • Related Stories

  • 1930s drug slows tumor growth
    created Nov 06, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0
  • GAO: FDA fails to follow up on unproven drugs
    created Oct 26, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0
  • New Cellular Therapy for HIV in World's First Engineered T Cell Receptor Trial
    created Oct 07, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0
  • FDA sees no safety issues with Pfizer HIV drug
    created Oct 06, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0
  • Who gets the antibiotics?
    created Sep 20, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0



  • hide
  • Relevant PhysicsForums posts

Other News

Overeating can set stage for obesity, researchers say

Medicine & Health / Health

created 4 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

It doesn't seem like a fair fight. In one corner loomed the Thanksgiving table, groaning with poultry, pie and mashed potatoes.


New tools for prediction of disease progression in acute childhood leukemia

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created 5 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Uppsala University and University Children’s Hospital in Uppsala have devised powerful new tools for typing cells from children with acute lymphatic leukemia and for prediction of how children ...


eye

Over-the-counter eye drops raise concern over antibiotic resistance

Medicine & Health / Medications

created 11 hours ago | popularity 3.5 / 5 (2) | comments 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- The use of antibiotic eye drops for conjunctivitis has increased by almost half since they became available over the counter at chemists in 2005, data obtained by Oxford University researchers ...


Nuclear science to fight sleeping sickness

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created 8 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

The International Atomic Energy Agency on Friday announced an agreement to help African nations battle the tsetse fly, the main carrier of parasites that causes sleeping sickness with its bites.


A costly diagnosis: Alzheimer's disease takes toll on memories, and money too

Medicine & Health / Health

created 9 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Alzheimer's disease takes a devastating emotional toll on families but it also is one of the most expensive conditions to treat because of its progressive nature, requiring increasing assistance with eating, bathing and other ...