Health News
FDA Focus on TNF Blockers
A class of drugs is now under suspicion of causing cancer in children, adolescents and young adults under the age of 30. These are called Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) blockers, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently released an update regarding its ongoing safety review of these drugs.
FDA Drug Safety Communication: TNF blockers
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is informing the public that it continues to receive reports of a rare cancer of white blood cells (known as h epatosplenic T-Cell lymphoma or HSTCL ), primarily in adolescents and young adults being treated for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis with medicines known as tumor necrosis factor ( TNF ) blockers, as well as with azathioprine , and/or mercaptopurine .
Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis cause inflammation of the digestive system. Common symptoms are pain in the abdomen, cramps, and diarrhea. Bleeding from the rectum, wei...