Hoechst Marion Roussel's once-daily treatment for seasonal allergicrhinitis, Telfast 120 (fexofenadine hydrochloride 120mg), is now available on prescription in the UK. This is the first new non-sedating prescription antihistamine for seven years, reports the company.
This launch comes in the nick of time for the company whose drug terfenadine, which goes under the brand-name Teldane in France, has had its marketing approval revoked by the French drug agency AMM. In addition, the European Medicines evaluation Agency is to examine the product, and the US Food and Drug Administration has also requested its withdrawal (see later and Marketletter February 24).
Terfenadine Potential For Cardiotoxicity This action has been triggered by the observation that in a small number of patients, for example those in overdosage or who have administered terfenadine concomitantly with certain macrolide antibiotics and azole antifungals, high plasma levels of terfenadine interfere with myocardial muscle cells by blocking the potassium channels. This results in prolongation of the QT interval and ventricular arrythmia, which can ultimately lead to cardiac arrest.
This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.
Login to your accountTry before you buy
7 day trial access
Become a subscriber
Or £77 per month
The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed
Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK
Copyright © The Pharma Letter 2024 | Headless Content Management with Blaze