E-drug: Statins & rhabdomyolysis - Australian experience (cont'd)
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Dear Colleagues,
Diana Kornbrot asked for some additional information about this
data.
The following report has the imprimature of the Australian Adverse
Drug Reaction Unit.
Cheers,
Ken
Dr. Ken Harvey, MB BS, FRCPA, MASM
Council Member, Australian Consumers Association
(http://www.choice.com.au)
Board Member, Therapeutic Guidelines Ltd. (http://www.tg.com.au)
35 Mary St., Hawthorn, Vic, 3122
Telephone/Fax (61 3) 9818 1875, Mobile 0419 181910
E-mail: k.harvey@bigpond.net.au
Internet: http://www-sph.health.latrobe.edu.au/kharvey/
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Australian Statin Adverse Drug Reaction Report
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Utilisation Information (PBS/RPBS prescriptions dispensed)
June 1999 - Feb 2001 Last 12
months
Cerivastatin 200 mg 66,000 48,000
300 mg 254,000
186,000
400 mg 51,000
51,000
Atorvastatin 10 mg 2,804,000
1,792,000
20 mg 2,548,000
1,673,000
40 mg 1,238,000
846,000
Simvastatin 5 mg 113,000 66,000
10 mg 2,488,000
1,423,000
20 mg 3,635,000
2,231,000
40 mg 1,127,000
757,000
80 mg 165,000
133,000
It can be noted that usage of cerivastatin was of over an order of
magnitude lower than the two most commonly prescribed statins
(simvastatin, atorvastatin) over all dosage ranges. This gives
importance to the higher reporting rate of rhabdomyolysis with
cerivastatin. It should also be kept in mind that some statins have
been supplied in Australia for much longer periods than others e.g.
simvastatin has been supplied for more than 10 years; atorvastatin
was registered in April 1997.
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Statin reports with fatal outcome
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Total reports All reports with Reports with
fatal
fatal outcome outcome,
muscle
symptoms or
rhabdomyolysis
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Simvastatin 2248 18 1 as only
suspected
drug;
3 with other
drugs
suspected as
cause
or interacting
with
simvastatin.
Atorvastatin 679 2 0
Fluvastatin 242 0 0
Pravastatin 339 2 0
Cerivastatin 148 0 0
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ENDS
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