Despite research showing that adverse reactions to the epilepsy drug Carbamazepine are highly frequent, patients who have such reactions will not qualify for the Department of Health’s (DOH) drug relief program because the drug is mainly prescribed by doctors for “off-label” use, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Huang Sue-ying (黃淑英) said yesterday.
At a press conference yesterday, Huang cited the case of a man, surnamed Hsu (徐), who had experienced an adverse reaction to the drug but could not receive drug relief compensation, saying that this highlighted a serious problem caused by the failure of the health authorities to provide the public with protection against drugs that were prescribed off-label.
Doctors may legally prescribe drugs off-label if the drug is safe to use and found to be effective in treating a certain condition that it has not yet been approved for. For example, Carbamazepine, which has been officially approved for use in treating epilepsy, is also often prescribed by doctors as a mood stabilizer or pain reliever.
“While it is legal for doctors to prescribe drugs off-label, patients who follow their doctor’s instructions to take the drug cannot receive any help or compensation if they have an adverse reaction because the DOH’s drug relief program then deems off-label use illegal, which is unreasonable,” Huang said.
Huang cited statistics from the Drug Relief Foundation, which showed that from 2005 until last year, there were 299 cases of patients who had adverse reactions to drugs but could not receive compensation. Of the 299 cases, 101 (34 percent) were patients who used off-label drugs.
She also cited a research study by Academia Sinica in April 2004 that showed as many as 5 percent of people in Taiwan carry a gene that has shown to increase the risk of developing Stevens Johnson syndrome as a reaction to taking Carbamazepine. As a result, compared with the relatively low rate of white Caucasians who carry this gene, Taiwanese are 30 times more at risk of developing the syndrome in reaction to the drug.
Huang urged DOH officials to re-evaluate whether Carbamazepine should be legally approved as safe for use in the country, as well as provide drug relief for patients who suffer from adverse drug reactions as a result of off-label use.
Hsu Chien-wen (喋??, deputy director of the Food and Drug Administration’s division of drug and new biotechnology products, said that as no drug is 100 percent safe, doctors are advised to continue monitoring patients’ progress while they are taking them.
She said DOH officials would invite experts to discuss drug relief assistance and compensation.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS