PRAC on combo meds
April 16, 2014
The European Medicines
Agency’s Pharmacovigilance Risk
Assessment Committee (PRAC)
has advised that combining
medicines from any two of the
three main classes that act on the
renin-angiotensin (RAS) system
should not be recommended, after
reviewing the risks.
These classes are angiotensinreceptor
blockers (ARBs),
angiotensin-converting enzyme
inhibitors (ACE-inhibitors) and
direct renin inhibitors.
The review was initiated due to
concerns that combining RAS acting
agents could increase the risk of
hyperkalaemia, low blood pressure
and worsening of kidney function
compared with using one of the
medicines alone.
PRAC recommended that in
particular, patients with diabetesrelated
kidney problems should
not be given an ARB with an
ACE-inhibitor and where such
a combination was considered
absolutely necessary, it should
be carried out under specialist
supervision with close monitoring.
The recommendation will go
to the Committee for Medicinal
Products for Human Use.
To read more, CLICK HERE.
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