Carbamazepine (Tegretol) and Stevens-Johnson syndrome: the manufacturer recommends genetic testing

  The manufacturer of carbamazepine (Tegretol) updated the drug’s summary of product characteristics: ‘Before deciding to initiate treatment, patients of Han Chinese and Thai origin should whenever possible be screened for HLA-B*1502 as this allele strongly predicts the risk of severe carbamazepine-associated Stevens-Johnson syndrome’ Health Canada warned in March 2008 about carbamazepine’s side effects in […]

Phenytoin and fosphenytoin linked to Stevens Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis

From the FDA website: FDA is investigating new preliminary data regarding a potential increased risk of serious skin reactions including Stevens Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) from phenytoin therapy in Asian patients positive for a particular human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allele, HLA-B*1502. This allele occurs almost exclusively in patients with ancestry across […]

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