Introduction - Uppsala Monitoring Centre

1998: Zimbabwe, Russia, Iran, Estonia, China, India
1999: Mexico, Fiji, Vietnam (1994)
2000: Cyprus, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Sri Lanka.
2001: Brazil, Egypt, Ghana, Uruguay, Armenia
2002: Ukraine, Peru, Latvia (1996), Jordan, Guatemala.
2003: Kyrgystan (1998), Moldova (1996)
2004: Columbia (1996), Malta, Nigeria.
2005: Mozambique (1999)
2006: Sierra Leone, Uzbekistan (1970), Belarus, Nepal (1979)
2007: Surinam (2006)
2008: Kazakhstan, Barbados, Andorra, Lithuania (1995) (WHO Uppsala reports,
2004)
However, countries were able to withdraw drugs from the market before the
dates given above. It is difficult to pinpoint the moment when any particular country
was in the position to be able to assess all the data and take regulatory action.
Drugs that were introduced prior to 1960 and later withdrawn or
restricted
In order to assess the pharmacovigilance aspects of drug withdrawals and
restrictions it is necessary to establish the dates when the relevant ADRs were first
mentioned, subsequent cases as described in Meyler’s Side Effects of Drugs (SED)
1952, 1957, 1958 and 1960, and then the dates when the drug was withdrawn.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to find out whether a drug was on the market in any other
countries, other than those where it is stated that it has been withdrawn. It is likely
that those countries that have a strong pharmaceutical research background will
also be those countries that pick up any ADR problems and withdraw the drug.
These countries are: USA, UK, Japan, France, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands,
Belgium, Sweden and Italy (Ballance, 1992). The other countries may then follow
suit later. The main sources of information used are the ‘Multi country survey on
banned and restricted pharmaceuticals’ Health Action International August 2008 and
the ‘Consolidated list of products whose consumption and/or sale have been
banned, severely restricted or not approved by governments; WHO/EDH/QSM/99.2.
Two drugs, acetanilide and antipyrine, have been omitted despite their having been
withdrawn from one and three countries respectively. (see 1908) This is because
the evidence of their causing blood dyscrasias is unreliable.
370 BC Datura (Stramonium containing atropine and scopolamine)
Also known as Jimson weed or Thorn apple was introduced as a cigarette for
asthma in 1802 in India (Salter, 1859; Sims, 1812). Datura itself was used since the
time of Hippocrates. Lewin referred to its intoxicating powers in 1928 (Lewin, 1928).
Between 1910 and 1980 a favourite asthma treatment was ‘Potter’s Asthma