Fire hazards with Diprosone ointment and ondansetron use in pregnancy – updates from NICE

NICE has provided important updated patient safety information regarding fire hazards with Diprosone ointment and ondansetron use in pregnancy

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has provided the following updated patient safety information regarding fire hazards with Diprosone ointment and use of ondansetron in pregnancy as part of its Medicines Awareness Daily updates:

• Diprosone ointment – the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) has been updated to state:
  • Patients using the product should not smoke or go near naked flames due to the risk of severe burns
  • Fabric that has been in contact with the product (such as bedding, clothing, dressings) burns more easily and is a serious fire hazard; washing bedding and clothing that has come into contact with the product reduces product build-up but may not completely remove it

• Ondansetron use in pregnancy – the UK Teratology Information Service (UKTIS) recommends that off-licence use of ondansetron for hyperemesis gravidarum and nausea and vomiting in pregnancy should be reserved as a second-line treatment due to a small increase in risk of cleft lip and/or palate if the medicine is taken in the first trimester; patients should be counselled on this risk
  • UKTIS has updated its monograph for healthcare professionals and patient factsheet

For further information on this or any other query, please contact the NPA Pharmacy Services team on 01727 891 800 or email pharmacyservices@npa.co.uk.

Produced by the NPA Pharmacy Services team September 2019.