Important safety information regarding Actemra® (Tocilizumab) and anaphylaxis

Roche would like to inform healthcare professionals of a post-marketing case of fatal anaphylaxis reported in the USA, in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis treated with Actemra®. The patient was a 67-year old woman who died from an anaphylactic event after her fifth infusion of Actemra® despite prompt medical intervention. This is the first reported case of fatal anaphylaxis in a patient treated with Actemra®. The diagnosis of hypersensitivity or anaphylaxis should be considered in any patient experiencing an infusion reaction during or following Actemra® administration. If an anaphylactic or other serious hypersensitivity reaction occurs, administration of Actemra® should be stopped immediately. Appropriate medical management should be initiated, and Actemra® should be permanently discontinued.
Healthcare professional, Therapeutic Products
Published:

Dear Healthcare Professional Letters

12 Dec 2019

Only abstracts of the Dear Healthcare Professional Letters (DHCPL) are provided on this website. Details of the letters can be found on the MOH Alert System, which is accessible via the Health Professionals Portal (HPP). HPP is a one-stop portal for all healthcare professionals in Singapore. Dentists, medical doctors and pharmacists may access HPP at https://www.hpp.moh.gov.sg/, and follow the procedures below to access the MOH Alert system.

Step 1: Scroll down to the bottom navigation panel of the HPP web page. Under the Healthcare Professionals section, expand the dropdown option for ‘Healthcare Professional Portal’ and select your profession. You will be redirected to the specific HPP web page to log in.

Step 2: Click on the Restricted Content icon on the left panel of the web page and log in via SingPass.

Step 3: Click on the MOH Alert icon under the ‘Applications’ section.

Step 4: Click on the Drug Alert tab to view the DHCPLs.