Government Issues Serial Alert on Meftal Spas in India

Meftal Spas is a popular painkiller in the whole of India. It contains a mix of mefenamic acid and dicyclomine. Those people, who rely on Meftal spas to kick away menstrual cramps arthritis pain, or any other kind of pain, this news is for you.

The government put serious ALERT on this Medicine!!

Mefenamic acid is a pain-relieving agent that gives relief to muscle and joint pain. dicyclomine helps to reduce the symptoms of stomach and intestinal cramping. These two are the main ingredients for the Meftal Spas tablets. But, The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission has issued a drug safety alert,  highlighting serious concerns about Meftal’s main active ingredient, mefenamic acid.

mefenamic acid may cause ulcers bleeding or holes in the stomach or intestine. These problems may develop at any time. Mefenamic acid in Meftal can lead to potential adverse reactions which can cause eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome.  

“Healthcare professionals, patients/consumers are advised to closely monitor the possibility of the above adverse drug reaction (ADR) associated with the use of the suspected drug,” the alert stated.  However, doctors say that the side effects of these medicines are extremely rare. These are already known facts and they take care of a patient’s dosages while prescribing.

What is DRESS syndrome and eosinophilia?

DRESS syndrome is a fully named Drug Rash with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms. This is a rare reaction term that is used to describe a hypersensitivity reaction of a medicine with an estimated mortality rate of 10%. At first, the patients normally develop fever early stage of the disease. Then the rashes develop slowly.

Eosinophilia happens when your body produces a huge amount of white blood cells, named eosinophils. Sometimes, a medical condition or some medications can cause high eosinophil levels. High eosinophil levels can indicate drug reaction or allergy. But a severe condition could be caused by it, including some serious blood disorders. This disorder could affect your large intestine, stomach small intestine, or lungs too.