Greg Allen highlights certain problems inherent in Canadian “Dear Health Care Professional” letters: one-time maldistribution of information that is missing clinically important content. The original letter1 signed by Health Canada was addressed to “Hospital Chief of Medical Staff, Otolaryngologists and Pharmacists in Retail Pharmacies.” It was overlooked by many who might actually be prescribing the drug, including anesthesiologists, emergency physicians and psychiatrists.2
In CMAJ's Health and Drug Alerts, we sought to broaden the awareness of the problem with droperidol and to provide additional clinically relevant information, such as a list of medications that cause QT prolongation. The quality of Health Canada's advisories has been criticized in the past as contributing to preventable medication adverse events,3,4 and clearly reform is still needed.
Eric Wooltorton CMAJ
References
- 1.Health Canada. Cardiovascular toxicity with injectable droperidol. Ottawa: Health Canada; 2002 Feb 12. Available: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hpb-dgps/therapeut/zfiles/english/advisory/tpd/droperidol_e.html (accessed 2002 July 8).
- 2.Wooltorton E. Droperidol: cardiovascular toxicity and deaths. CMAJ 2002;166(7):932. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
- 3.Lessons from cisapride [editorial]. CMAJ 2001; 164 (9):1269. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
- 4.Sibbald B. Cisapride, before and after: still waiting for ADE-reporting reform. CMAJ 2001;165 (10):1370.