TORADOL LINKED TO SERIOUS REACTIONS

Syntex' Toradol (ketorolac tromethamine), described by the company as being as effective a painkiller as a narcotic but without the addictive properties of a narcotic, has been linked to several deaths and a number of serious adverse reactions in Canada, reports the Montreal Gazette, a Canadian newspaper.

The drug has been associated with 18 cases of gastrointestinal bleeding, four of which have ended in death, and eight cases of severe allergic reactions, says the Canadian federal Health Department. There have been no reported associated deaths since July this year, noted Curt Appel, chief of adverse drug reaction monitoring. However, Mr Appel said that his department will begin investigating whether any other adverse reaction reports have been filed on Toradol.