Risk is low in short courses

BMJ 1995;311:450-451 (12 August)

Letters

Risk is low in short courses

EDITOR,--We were concerned to read Marie Doona and J BernardWalsh's editorial on the use of chloramphenicol as topical eyemedication.¹ Despite the drug's widespread use, since 1966 theCommittee on the Safety of Medicines has received only 11 reportsof haematological reactions (all non-fatal) suspected to havebeen caused by ocular chloramphenicol (personal communication).In the past 10 years more than 200 million ocular topical chloramphenicolproducts were dispensed for community use in England alone (Departmentof Health, personal communication). In the Royal Hospitals NHSTrust (comprising St Bartholomew's, the Royal London, and theLondon Chest Hospitals), where almost 7000 ocular chloramphenicolproducts were dispensed in the past 12 months, no cases of bonemarrow toxicity due to these products have been reported.

The authors state that the risk of aplastic anaemia associatedwith oral chloramphenicol is 1 in 30000 to 1 in 50000, and theypostulate that the . . . [Full text of this article]

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Use of chloramphenicol as topical eye medication: time to cry halt?: Marie Doona and J Bernard Walsh
BMJ 1995 310: 1217-1218. [Extract] [Full Text]