Meftal-Spas is a popular pain reliever that many women take during their period cramps...
Digital Desk: The government has issued a safety advisory on the popular drug mefenamic acid, urging people to be cautious about its side effects, particularly because it can trigger a drug reaction known as Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS) syndrome.
The presence of mefenamic acid, its major component, may produce severe allergic reactions.
Talking about the Meftal-Spas it's a popular pain reliever that many women take during their period cramps. Although these NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines) are mostly safe, the government advises against taking them without a prescription.
It is to be mentioned that women are aware of the fact of using painkillers despite knowing the side effects they tend to skip it.
Likewise, Saridon, a popular over-the-counter pain reliever, and 327 other fixed-dose combination (FDC) medications were prohibited in 2018, citing safety concerns and a "lack of therapeutic justification."
However, following a legal battle the Supreme Court removed Saridon from the list in 2019.
Amidst these, the question arises will women quit taking these drugs during cramps now that a government warning regarding its negative effects has been issued?
Despite being aware of the risks associated with various pain relievers, many women continue to pop a pill whenever they have period cramps.
Period pain has been linked to a variety of reproductive disorders, and the degree of the pain must be assessed. Doctors have been vociferous about limiting the use of pain relievers during menstruation cramps.
Furthermore, the company named 'Blue Cross Laboratories' makes Meftal and Meftal-Spas, the brands that are trusted by doctors in India for the treatment of pain, fever, and spasms. They contain mefenamic acid as an active ingredient," stated per Company's notification.
Blue Cross Labs regarding the recent media coverage of the alert issued by the Indian Pharmacopeia Commission (IPC) on mefenamic acid gave a clearance remark stating that "The alert issued by the IPC was about mefenamic acid, and not about Meftal or Meftal Spas in particular."
The alert however advises Doctors and patients to monitor the possibility of an adverse drug reaction (ADR) of mefenamic acid, which does not in any way impact the safety, efficacy and high quality of the brands that are established and supported by clinical studies.
"The ADR i.e. DRESS syndrome, mentioned in the IPC alert, is a very rare event that is previously documented in the medical literature, both in India and globally. It is a known ADR of many drugs and published reports are available for paracetamol, ibuprofen, diclofenac, aceclofenac, and even aspirin. When prescribing any medicine, doctors take patient history and other individual factors into account to reduce the risk of any ADR," the notification stated.
The clearance letter further added, "The Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PVPI) operates under the purview of IPC and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to collect data on adverse events of all drugs. It works in the interest of patients to ensure the safety and efficacy of all drugs for all disease conditions. Blue Cross Laboratories as a responsible company has a strong pharmacovigilance system internally and supports the efforts of PvPI."
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