FOLLOWING a warning issued in Britain by Glaxo Wellcome that its anti epilepsy drug, Lamictal, may cause serious skin rashes among children and adults, the Irish Medicines Board said the use of the drug was already strictly controlled and monitored.
The warning issued to physicians relates to the drug Lamotrigine (the generic name), and was issued after new data showed children particularly at risk. It has been in use in Ireland since 1991 but is not as widely prescribed as other epilepsy drugs.
"In Ireland, treatment can only be initiated by, and must be supervised by, a specialist. There are special requirements for reporting adverse reactions to the IMB," its chief executive, Dr John Kelly, said. It was aware of adverse reactions and had already advised doctors of a review of risk factors.
The Irish Epilepsy Association said it was its understanding the rashes were "very rare".
About 7,000 Irish prescriptions of the drug were issued in 1994 in comparison to up to 90,000 prescriptions for two of the more popular epilepsy drugs.