March 29, 2017.
According to a pharmacovigilance survey launched in September by the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM), from 1996 to 2016, 27 deaths of cancer patients were linked to the drug Docetaxel.
27 people dead in 20 years
The drug Docetaxel is in the sights of the Medicines Agency and the Cancer Institute (INCa). He is indeed accused of causing the death of 27 people in 20 years. These suspicions were brought to light by an ANSM investigation, revealed by our colleagues from Figaro. According to these studies, among these deaths are 17 cases of enterocolitis, inflammation of the digestive tract and 10 cases of septic shock.
Already on January 17, the Cancer Institute and the ANSM recommended suspending the prescription of this drug for localized, operable breast cancers, in favor of another treatment, Paclitaxel. This recommendation followed certain revelations from the Figaro which explained that five patients died of sudden death after taking this treatment.
Docetaxel is the generic of Taxotere, an anti-cancer drug
But Docetaxel has not been given only to patients with breast cancer. Until then it was also used in the treatment of cancers of the lung, prostate, gastric cancer and upper aero-digestive tract. As a reminder, Docetaxel is the generic of Taxotere, an anti-cancer drug marketed by the Indian pharmaceutical company Accord.
Still according to these works, an increase in the side effects of docetaxel has been observed since 2010, even though it has been prescribed much less in recent years. Did the ANSM delay launching an investigation into this drug? According to our colleagues from Figaro, this case ” reveals the flaws in our public health system “. ” Ultimately, the problem is always the same: doubt does not benefit patients. », They conclude.
Marine Rondot
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