Eight Deaths Linked to Methotrexate in Australia Save
Methotrexate (MTX), a cornerstone drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA), has led to 90 hospitalizations and 8 deaths according to a recent report from the Medical Journal of Australia.
Many of these events were the result of inappropriate higher or more frequent doses than that prescribed. Such practices led to gastrointestinal tract ulceration, liver toxicity, bone marrow suppression, septicemia, and death.
In a nationwide search of MTX-related death rates, three datasets discovered that over 90 dosing error cases were reported from 2004 to 2015.
Twenty-two died from taking MTX, but only 7 deaths were directly attributed to overdosing. The United States Food and Drug Administration has noted 25 MTX deaths over a four-year timeframe.
The authors recommended changes in packaging and tablet appearance to reduce the incidence of these events.
ADD THE FIRST COMMENT
Disclosures
The author has no conflicts of interest to disclose related to this subject
If you are a health practitioner, you may Login/Register to comment.
Due to the nature of these comment forums, only health practitioners are allowed to comment at this time.