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Docetaxel: Drug Safety Communication - May Cause Symptoms of Alcohol Intoxication
AUDIENCE: Oncology
ISSUE: FDA is warning that the intravenous chemotherapy drug docetaxel contains ethanol, also known as alcohol, which may cause patients to experience intoxication or feel drunk during and after treatment. FDA is revising the labels of all docetaxel drug products to warn about this risk.
BACKGROUND: Docetaxel is a prescription chemotherapy drug used to treat different kinds of cancer, including cancers of the breast, prostate, stomach, head and neck cancers, and non-small-cell lung cancer.
RECOMMENDATION: Health care professionals should consider the alcohol content of docetaxel when prescribing or administering the drug to patients, particularly in those whom alcohol intake should be avoided or minimized and when using it in conjunction with other medications.
Healthcare professionals and patients are encouraged to report adverse events or side effects related to the use of these products to the FDA's MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program:
- Complete and submit the report Online: www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm
- Download form or call 1-800-332-1088 to request a reporting form, then complete and return to the address on the pre-addressed form, or submit by fax to 1-800-FDA-0178
Read the MedWatch safety alert, including a link to the FDA Drug Safety Communication. at:
You are encouraged to report all serious adverse events and product quality problems to FDA MedWatch at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm
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