FDA moves to thwart drug-induced liver problems

Federal regulators are teaming up with industry and interest groups to tackle drug-related liver problems.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is holding a conference that discusses the best ways to detect and examine the effects medication can have on the liver.

The Critical Path Institute (C-Path) and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America are co-sponsoring the event, set for March 20 and 21 at the Marriott Inn & Conference Center the and University of Maryland University College.

Drug-induced liver damage, the agency says, is the leading safety-related cause of having a medication pulled from the market. 

On Thursday, the FDA launched a campaign to educate consumers about how taking more than the recommended doses of some medication — such as acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol — can cause liver damage. The agency previously reported that drug-induced liver injury is the leading cause of acute liver failure.

The conference, “Detecting and Evaluating Drug-Induced Liver Injury; What’s Normal, What’s Not, and What Should We Do About It?", which costs $300 to $600 per ticket, will likely be attended by pharmaceutical companies, "academia, health care providers, patient groups, and regulatory bodies," according to a Federal Register notice.

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