More than 5,000 adverse reactions to drugs

More than 5,000 adverse reactions to drugs were reported in the city in the first quarter, with the top three being gastrointestinal, skin and nervous system problems.

The Shanghai Drug Administration said on Tuesday it had received 5,426 adverse reaction cases, of which 3.39 percent were serious.

More than half were people 65 years old or older, and 58.11 percent were female.

Anti-infective, cardiovascular and tumor drugs were the top three drugs involved, the administration said.

Oral preparations accounted for 56.25 percent, followed by injections (38.18 percent), it said. Gastrointestinal harm accounted for 32.07 percent, followed by skin injury (20.36 percent) and nervous system harm (11.39 percent).

Major symptoms included vomiting, itching, headaches, stomach aches, fevers and lethargy, the administration said.

They were reported by medical institutions and drug businesses.

The administration said the number of adverse reactions in the first quarter was a drop of 27.32 percent compared with the same period in 2018, but did not reveal the figure for 2019.