Hong Kong the latest regulator to recall drugs from Ben Venue
On Tuesday the European Medicines Agency (EMA) began recalling three oncology drugs produced by Ben Venue. Within 24 hours the Hong Kong Department of Health (DH) also took action, recalling Celgene’s Vidaza (azacitidine) and alerting physicians to quality concerns with four other drugs.
“As there are no alternatives to replace the use of these four drugs in the market and these drugs are considered to be essential to meet patients' needs, healthcare providers are advised to weigh the benefits against the potential risk”, the Hong Kong DH wrote.
The quality alerts are for Bicnu (carmustine), Busulfex (busulfan), Caelyx (doxorubicin hydrochloride) and Velcade (bortezomib). All except Bicnu, a chemotherapy drug from Bristol-Myers Squibb, were part of action the EMA took. Caelyx is marketed in the US by Johnson & Johnson as Doxil.
