Hazards posed by a banned drug - Phenformin is still hanging around

Hong Kong Medical Journal

Volumn 14, Issue 1, 2008, Pages 50-54

  Ching, C K ^a   Lai, C K ^a   Poon, W T ^a   Wong, Ernest N P ^b   Yan, W W ^b   Chan, Albert Y W ^a   Mak, Tony W L ^a  

^a PRINCESS MARGARET HOSPITAL   (Hong Kong)

^b PAMELA YOUDE NETHERSOLE EASTERN HOSPITAL   (Hong Kong)

Author keywords

Acidosis, lactic; Drug and narcotic control; Drugs, Chinese herbal; Phenformin

Indexed keywords

ACARBOSE; ACICLOVIR; ANTIBIOTIC AGENT; CHINESE DRUG; GLIBENCLAMIDE; GLIPIZIDE; HERBACEOUS AGENT; INSULIN; METFORMIN; PHENFORMIN; ROSIGLITAZONE; ANTIDIABETIC AGENT;

ADULT; AGED; ARTICLE; CHINESE HERB; CHINESE MEDICINE; CLINICAL ARTICLE; DIABETES MELLITUS; DRUG DETERMINATION; DRUG INDICATION; FEMALE; FLUID RETENTION; HEART FAILURE; HONG KONG; HUMAN; HYPOGLYCEMIA; LACTIC ACIDOSIS; MALE; METABOLIC ACIDOSIS; SIDE EFFECT; CASE REPORT; CHEMICALLY INDUCED DISORDER; CHEMISTRY; DRUG CONTAMINATION; DRUG POTENTIATION; MIDDLE AGED; URINE;

ACIDOSIS, LACTIC; AGED; DIABETES MELLITUS; DRUG CONTAMINATION; DRUG SYNERGISM; DRUGS, CHINESE HERBAL; FEMALE; HONG KONG; HUMANS; HYPOGLYCEMIC AGENTS; MALE; MIDDLE AGED; PHENFORMIN; URINE;

EID: 41649083998     PISSN: 10242708     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: None     Document Type: Article

References (25)

1. Bailey CJ. Biguanides and NIDDM. Diabetes Care 1992;15:755-72.
2. Kwong SC, Brubacher J. Phenformin and lactic acidosis: a case report and review. J Emerg Med 1998;16:881-6.
3. Fimognari FL, Pastorelli R, Incalzi RA. Phenformin-induced lactic acidosis in an older diabetic patient: a recurrent drama (phenformin and lactic acidosis). Diabetes Care 2006;29:950-1.
4. Lai CK, Lee T, Au KM, Chan AY. Uniform solid-phase extraction procedure for toxicological drug screening in serum and urine by HPLC with photodiode-array detection. Clin Chem 1997;43:312-25.
5. Gan SC, Barr J, Arieff AI, Pearl RG. Biguanide-associated lactic acidosis. Case report and review of the literature. Arch Intern Med 1992;152:2333-6.
6. Luft D, Schmülling RM, Eggstein M. Lactic acidosis in biguanide-treated diabetics: a review of 330 cases. Diabetologia 1978;14:75-87.
7. Kumar A, Nugent K, Kalakunja A, Pirtle F. Severe acidosis in a patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension and renal failure. Chest 2003;123:1726-9.
8. Kreisberg RA, Wood BC. Drug and chemical-induced metabolic acidosis. Clin Endocrinol Metab 1983;12:391-411.
9. Oates NS, Shah RR, Idle JR, Smith RL. Influence of oxidation polymorphism on phenformin kinetics and dynamics. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1983;34:827-34.
10. Marchetti P, Benzi L, Cecchetti P, et al. Plasma biguanide levels are correlated with metabolic effects in diabetic patients. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1987;41:450-4.
11. Lalau JD, Race JM. Lactic acidosis in metformin-treated patients. Prognostic value of arterial lactate levels and plasma metformin concentrations. Drug Saf 1999;20:377-84.
12. Lalau JD, Lacroix C, Compagnon P, et al. Role of metformin accumulation in metformin-associated lactic acidosis. Diabetes Care 1995;18:779-84.
13. Fang XZ. Clinical analysis of phenformin induced lactic acidosis [in Chinese]. Journal of Internal Intensive Medicine 1998;4:110-1.
14. Chen ZS, Liu FF. Observation of treatment effectiveness in ten cases of diabetic lactic acidosis [in Chinese]. Chinese Journal of Misdiagnostics 2005;5:686-7.
15. Enia G, Garozzo M, Zoccali C. Lactic acidosis induced by phenformin is still a public health problem in Italy. BMJ 1997;315:1466-7.
16. Ko GT, Chan JC, Chow CC, Yeung VT, Li YK, Cockram CS. Phenformin-induced lactic acidosis: an almost forgotten complication of treatment with biguanides. Br J Hosp Med 1995;54:469-70.
17. Yeoh KG, Lee KO, Cheah JS. Fatal lactic acidosis from imported phenformin - report of two cases. Singapore Med J 1996;37:482-4.
18. Rosand J, Friedberg JW, Yang JM. Fatal phenformin-associated lactic acidosis. Ann Intern Med 1997;127:170.
19. McGuinness ME, Talbert RL. Phenformin-induced lactic acidosis: a forgotten adverse drug reaction. Ann Pharmacother 1993:27:1183-7.
20. Lu HC, Parikh PP, Lorber DL. Phenformin-associated lactic acidosis due to imported phenformin. Diabetes Care 1996;19:1449-50.
21. Huang WF, Wen KC, Hsiao ML. Adulteration by synthetic therapeutic substances of traditional Chinese medicines in Taiwan. J Clin Pharmacol 1997;37:344-50.
22. Ko RJ. Adulterants in Asian patent medicines. N Engl J Med 1998;339:847.
23. Leung TH, Chan AWK. Traditional Chinese Medicine in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Pharmaceutical Journal 2001;10:6-8.
24. Sino American Health Products, Inc., issues national recall of herbal products due to the presence of the undeclared drugs glyburide and phenformin. US Food and Drug Administration Website: http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/ Zhenqi.html. Accessed 2 Feb 2007.
25. Health Canada warns consumers not to take the Chinese medicine Shortclean due to potential health risk (17 November 2005). Health Canada website: http://www.hcsc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/advisories-avis/2005/2005_124_e.html. Accessed 2 Feb 2007.