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  5. FDA Drug Safety Podcast: FDA warns about rare but serious skin reactions with mental health drug olanzapine (Zyprexa, Zyprexa Zydis, Zyprexa Relprevv, and Symbyax)
  1. FDA Drug Safety Podcasts

FDA Drug Safety Podcast: FDA warns about rare but serious skin reactions with mental health drug olanzapine (Zyprexa, Zyprexa Zydis, Zyprexa Relprevv, and Symbyax)

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Welcome to FDA Drug Safety Podcasts for health care professionals. This is Lesley Navin, Advanced Practice Nurse from the Division of Drug Information.

On May 10, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it is warning that the antipsychotic medicine olanzapine can cause a rare but serious skin reaction that can progress to affect other parts of the body. We are adding a new warning to the drug labels for all olanzapine-containing products that describes this severe condition known as Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS).

Health care professionals should immediately stop treatment with olanzapine if DRESS is suspected. When prescribing olanzapine containing products, explain the signs and symptoms of severe skin reactions to your patients and tell them when to seek immediate medical care.

Olanzapine is an antipsychotic medicine used to treat mental health disorders schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It can decrease hallucinations, in which people hear or see things that do not exist, and other psychotic symptoms such as disorganized thinking. Olanzapine is available under the brand names Zyprexa, Zyprexa Zydis, Zyprexa Relprevv, and Symbyax, and also as generics.

DRESS may start as a rash that can spread to all parts of the body. It can include fever and swollen lymph nodes and a swollen face. It causes a higher than normal number of infection-fighting white blood cells called eosinophils that can cause inflammation, or swelling. DRESS can result in injury to organs including the liver, kidneys, lungs, heart, or pancreas, and can lead to death.

A search of the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database identified 23 cases of DRESS reported with olanzapine worldwide since 1996, when the first olanzapine-containing product was approved. FAERS includes only reports submitted to FDA, so there are likely to be additional cases about which we are unaware. One patient taking olanzapine experienced DRESS and died; however, this patient was taking multiple medicines that could also have contributed to death.

We urge health care professionals to report side effects involving olanzapine (Zyprexa, Zyprexa Zydis, Zyprexa Relprevv, and Symbyax, and generics) to the FDA MedWatch program at www.fda.gov/medwatch.

A link to the full communication detailing specific information for health care professionals, facts about olanzapine and the complete Data Summary can be found at www.fda.gov/DrugSafetyCommunications. If you have drug questions, you can reach us at druginfo@fda.hhs.gov.

And follow us on Twitter @FDA_Drug_Infodisclaimer icon for up to the minute important drug information. Know the moment it happens. Thank you for listening.

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