Published: 1 September 2016

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Posaconazole (Noxafil) — Tablets and Suspension are not Interchangeable

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Prescriber Update 37(3): 38
September 2016

Posaconazole (Noxafil) is a broad-spectrum triazole antifungal, available as both a modified release tablet and oral suspension.

Healthcare professionals are reminded that the two formulations are not interchangeable due to a difference in dosing of each formulation¹.

Medication errors have resulted from substitutions of the tablets and oral suspension. The European Medicine Agency (EMA) recently reported that some patients have mistakenly received oral suspension instead of tablets, leading to underdosing². The EMA also reports patients have received tablets instead of the suspension, leading to overdose and side effects².

Further information is available on the medicine data sheet (www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/datasheet/n/Noxafilsusp.pdf).

References

1. Merck Sharp & Dohme New Zealand Limited. 2015. Noxafil Data Sheet 16 October 2015. URL: www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/datasheet/n/Noxafilsusp.pdf (accessed 20 July 2016).
2. European Medicines Agency (EMA). 2016. EMA warns that Noxafil tablets and oral suspension have different doses and are not interchangeable 24 June 2016. URL: www.ema.europa.eu/ema/index.jsp?curl=pages/news_and_events/news/2016/06/news_detail_002557.jsp&mid=WC0b01ac058004d5c1 (accessed 20 July 2016).