Friday, December 21, 2007

Raloxifene Approved for Reducing Invasive Breast Cancer Risk

The osteoporosis drug raloxifene (Evista) has been approved for the prevention of invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis or postmenopausal women at high risk for invasive breast cancer, the FDA announced Friday.

The agency warned that raloxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator, should not be taken with cholestyramine or estrogens. Premenopausal women, especially if they are pregnant or considering pregnancy, also should not take this drug.

Raloxifene can cause serious side effects, including deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and death due to stroke. Accordingly, the director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research cautioned that "the benefits and risks of taking [raloxifene] should be carefully evaluated for each individual woman."

No comments: