Heart pill Tredaptive pulled from shelves
(01-21 17:40)
The Department of Health today endorsed the total recall of Tredaptive (ER Niacin/Laropiprant) 1g/20mg Tablet (registration no. HK-57317) from the market by licensed drug wholesaler Merck Sharp & Dohme (Asia) because new data showed that the benefits of the product no longer outweigh the risks for patients.
The drug is used to treat dyslipidaemia, or abnormally high blood levels of fats such as triglycerides and cholesterol. It is not approved for use in the US and European Commission suspended the drug last week
So far, the department has not received any adverse drug reaction reports related to the use of Tredaptive.
According to the drug maker, about 22,300 packs (size 28) of Tredaptive were imported into Hong Kong in 2012. About 13,300 packs were supplied to pharmacies, doctors and hospitals.
MSD has set up a hotline 3971 2913 to answer public enquiries. The health department will closely monitor the recall.
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