Relenza is a medicine used to treat and/or prevent both influenza A and B. It belongs to a group of medicines called neuraminidase inhibitors and works by targeting the influenza virus and preventing it from spreading inside the body. Rashes and allergic reactions were listed as rare side effects of the medication, but the new label specifically identifies more severe types of rashes, SJS and TEN.

SJS is a severe allergic reaction to medication. It has been linked to thousands of over-the-counter and prescription drugs including anti-inflammatory medications, antibiotics and antiviral drugs. SJS presents with a rash on the skin that blisters over, causing the skin to peel away. Blisters can also form on the eyes and internal organs leading to blindness and vision problems and even death. The most serious form of SJS is TEN.

SOURCE: Stevens Johnson Syndrome › Flu treatment and prevention drug linked to serious allergic reaction

SJS and its most severe form, TEN, are allergic reactions to medication. More than 2,000 drugs have been associated with the condition. The condition begins with blisters that cause the top layer of skin to peel off. Blisters can also form in the eyes and internal membranes leaving sufferers susceptible to infection and dehydration. In severe cases, fatalities have occurred.

Inderide is a beta blocker that primarily affects the cardiovascular system by decreasing heat rate, cardiac contractility and blood pressure and promoting brochospasm in the lungs. It also increases chloride, sodium and water excretion by interfering with the transport of sodium ions across the renal tubular epithelium. Interide was already contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity to sulfonamide-derived drugs.

Interide’s new safety label was approved by the FDA and goes into effect immediately.

SOURCE: Stevens Johnson Syndrome › Hypertension drug’s new label warns of SJS, TEN

Intelence is a tablet available only by prescription. It is a type of anti-HIV medicine called a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), also known as a non-nuke. It is used to control HIV infection in adults and must be used in conjunction with other HIV medications. Intelence is for patients who have previously received treatment for HIV-1 and showed resistance to NNRTIs and protease inhibitors.

The clinical trials revealed that Intelence does carry a slight risk for serious skin reactions such as Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS), hypersensitivity reaction and erythema multiforme.

More than 200 medications have been linked to SJS and its more severe form, toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), most commonly ibuprofen, antibiotics and anti-seizure medications. SJS and TEN are severe expressions of a simple rash known as erythema multiforme. As the condition worsens, the rashes blister over causing the skin to peel off. Mucus membranes, such as the mouth and eyes, can blister over causing dehydration, infection, blindness and even death.

Patients taking medication, including Intelence, should be aware of the potential life-threatening risk of SJS/TEN

SOURCE: Stevens Johnson Syndrome › HIV treatment linked to slight risk of SJS/TEN

Ethyol is a prescription medication given by injection before postoperative radiation treatment sessions for head and neck cancer to lower the rate of moderate to severe dry mouth, also known as xerostomia. It is often prescribed when radiation includes the parotid glands, or the largest of the salivary glands.

The changes to contraindications and warnings for Ethyol include a warning of cutaneous reactions including erythema multiforme, SJS, TEN, toxoderma and exfoliative dermatitis. The reactions have been reported most frequently when Ethyol is used to protect against the effects of radiation. According to the new safety labeling information, some of the cutaneous reactions have been fatal or have required hospitalization and/or discontinuance of therapy.

Patients receiving injections of Ethyol should be carefully monitored as serious cutaneous reactions may develop weeks after initial use, according to the revised labeling.

The new labeling changes were approved by the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research last November.

SOURCE: Stevens Johnson Syndrome › Ethyol now linked to SJS, TEN

The study is the largest conducted to-date focusing on Latino patients with the hepatitis C virus. The virus is a blood-borne infectious disease of the liver that can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer and the need for liver transplants. Hepatitis C is reported to affect Latino patients differently than non-Latino patients. The Latino population is the largest-growing minority in the United States and has a higher prevalence of hepatitis C. The virus also has a faster progression and a much higher mortality among Latinos than non-Latinos.

PEGASYS is produced by New Jersey-based Hoffman-La Roche Inc. It can be used alone or in combination with COPEGUS, for the treatment of adults with chronic hepatitis C who have compensated liver disease. The medication was found most effective in patients with compensated liver disease and histological evidence of cirrhosis.

However, erythema multiforme major, also known as SJS, was reported among the serious adverse events that occurred during post-approval use of PEGASYS therapy. SJS is a rare but life-threatening reaction to medication that begins as a rash that blisters over, causing the skin to peel off in sheets. It also affects the mucus membranes, such as eyes, mouth and vagina, which can blister over and lead to dehydration, infection and serious eye problems such as blindness. More than 200 medications have been linked to SJS.

If you experience a rash or blistering while taking PEGASYS or any other medication, healthcare officials advise you contact your doctor and go to the emergency room.

SOURCE: Stevens Johnson Syndrome › Hepatitis C treatment proven effective but linked to SJS

Before being admitted to the hospital, Baylee was thought to be suffering from a combination of strep throat; hand, foot and mouth disease; and erythema multiforme (EM). EM is an acute, self-limiting inflammatory skin eruption. It often affects the mouth, eyes and other moist surfaces. One category of EM, known as EM major, is Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS). SJS often appears following fever, malaise, cough and sore throat. A skin biopsy can confirm SJS.

Unlike with SJS, there is no single test to detect KD. Doctors usually diagnose it by looking at the symptoms expressed and ruling out other conditions. Symptoms usually include a fever lasting five or more days; redness in both eyes; changes around the lips, tongue or mouth; swelling, discoloration or peeling in the fingers and toes; a rash in the trunk or genital area; large, swollen lymph node in the neck; and red or swollen palms of the ands and soles of the feet.

SJS is most often caused by an adverse reaction to medication; the cause of KD is still unknown. If left untreated, KD can cause inflammation in the coronary arteries as well as the walls of the small and medium sized arteries throughout the body. Doctors say Baylee’s arteries were affected and he received treatment, according to E! Online. Baylee was released from the hospital just days before Christmas and will be monitored carefully by pediatric cardiologists over the next 6-8 weeks.

SOURCE: Stevens Johnson Syndrome › Singer’s son diagnosed with rare disease similar to SJS

Researchers centered their focus on antibiotics that were either ingested or injected rather than those that are applied to the skin. Data was pulled from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-Cooperative Adverse Drug Event Surveillance project. The data showed that 19 percent of all emergency visits for adverse reactions to drugs were due to antibiotics.

Seventy-eight percent of the time those adverse events were caused by allergic reactions to the antibiotics and resulted in rashes and anaphylaxis. Other causes were accidental overdoses, unintentional exposures (such as children accidentally taking the medication), and side effects such as headaches, dizziness and diarrhea.

Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) is a rare but serious reaction to medication including antibiotics such as sulfonamides and penicillin. It is defined as a hypersensitivity disorder affecting the skin and mucous membranes and expresses itself first as a simple rash known as erythema multiforme.

Penicillin and similar-type antibiotics accounted for the majority of adverse events that resulted in emergency room visits, with penicillin alone attributing 36.9 percent of the visits. For every 10,000 outpatient prescription visits, reactions to sulfonamides resulted in 18.9 of emergency room visits. Sulfonamides also had a much higher rate of moderate-to-severe allergic reactions compared to medications in other antibiotic classes.

According to Dr. Daniel S. Budnitz, the leader of the study, “Antibiotics are among the most frequently used medications in the United States. Annually, antibiotics are prescribed to an estimated 16 percent of patients during ambulatory care visits, and pharmaceutical manufacturers spend $1 billion promoting antibiotics.” The report continues, “more than one-half of the estimated 100 million antibiotic prescriptions written in the community each year for respiratory tract infections may be unnecessary.”

SOURCE: Stevens Johnson Syndrome › Most emergency visits from drug reactions caused by antibiotics