U.S. posts drugs under safety probe

The FDA Top 20 watch list is located here. Commonly used drugs on this list includes heparin, insulin, nitroglycerin, oxycodone, and quetiapine among others.

From CBC News:
Health officials in the U.S. on Friday began publishing a quarterly list of prescription drugs under investigation for potential side-effects, with the aim of keeping doctors and patients better informed.

The drugs are under review based on complaints from the public. Inclusion on the list does not mean the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has concluded the drug is dangerous, officials stressed, but that safety reviewers think the reported problem needs to be looked at more closely.

The first report of 20 drugs under review was released Friday. All of the drugs, except one, are approved for use in Canada. Health Canada's website includes similar warnings about the drugs.

"My message to patients is this: Don't stop taking your medicine," said Dr. Janet Woodcock, who heads the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

"If your doctor has prescribed a drug that appears on this list, you should continue taking it unless your doctor advises you differently." ...more