All of these cases experienced serious complications such as high fever, rash, bleeding, acute liver failure, and in some cases, death.
The products purchased by the aforementioned patients online were of unknown origin and were not licensed medications. Most cases had a late onset, at least one week after starting to use products containing phenylbutazone, and in some cases, symptoms may not appear until 1-3 months later, making it difficult to pinpoint the cause of the allergy. Initial symptoms can be mistaken for those of infectious diseases. Therefore, the diagnosis time is prolonged, leading to delayed treatment. The product names are often in foreign languages, making it difficult for patients to remember or correctly pronounce the names of the products or active ingredients they used.
The patients purchased the phenylbutazone-containing products online.
PHOTO: DRUG ADMINISTRATION
Phenylbutazone is an anti-inflammatory drug that has been banned by the Vietnamese Ministry of Health since 2013 (according to Official Letter No. 2760/QLD-CL dated April 25, 2013). This drug has also been banned in many countries due to the risk of extremely serious, life-threatening allergic reactions such as: DRESS syndrome (high fever, generalized rash, liver, kidney, heart, and lung damage); Lyell syndrome (toxic epidermal necrolysis) causing skin peeling like severe burns; infection, multiple organ failure, and a high risk of death… The drug can also cause bone marrow suppression, gastrointestinal bleeding, and acute kidney failure.
The Drug Administration Department of the Ministry of Health has just sent a document to provincial health departments, requesting them to inform all drug businesses, users, and the public to absolutely not buy, sell, or use drugs containing phenylbutazone. Upon discovering products containing phenylbutazone circulating in the market, they should immediately report it to the provincial health department and relevant agencies for timely handling according to regulations.
Furthermore, people should not self-medicate based on word-of-mouth recommendations or social media; instead, they should seek advice and treatment at medical facilities and purchase medication from legitimate pharmacies.
The Drug Administration also requested that businesses review and remove any misleading advertising information about products containing phenylbutazone to avoid the misconception that these are licensed drugs in Vietnam, and strictly comply with legal regulations on drug sales, especially regarding the origin of the drugs. Note that the Administration does not license the import of phenylbutazone raw materials or finished drug products containing phenylbutazone.
Dr. Chu Chi Hieu, Head of the Allergy Department, Center for Clinical Allergy and Immunology, Bach Mai Hospital, said: "In severe drug allergy cases, besides taking a long time to fully recover, even after recovery, there is still a risk of recurrence (even without further exposure to the drug) and many potential late complications. Phenylbutazone is a banned drug due to the risk of causing serious allergic reactions, multi-organ failure, and even death. Cases are the clearest evidence. Therefore, people should absolutely not buy or use any medication without a doctor's prescription."
Irresponsible behavior
Dr. Nguyen Hoang Phuong, Director of the Center for Clinical Allergy and Immunology at Bach Mai Hospital, warned: "The online sale of banned drugs like phenylbutazone is irresponsible and directly affects people's health and lives. We strongly condemn this and call on authorities to strictly punish all violators. People's health is not a commodity to be exploited." Dr. Phuong also urged people to resolutely "say no to drugs of unknown origin."
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