Other safety alerts
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| Singapore: HSA Alert: Nine consumers hospitalised for serious skin reactions in the past year after using modafinil and armodafinil |
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Health Sciences Authority (HSA) is alerting members of the public not to obtain or consume products containing modafinil or armodafinil on their own. From February 2024 to February 2025, nine consumers suffered serious skin reactions after taking modafinil or armodafinil and were hospitalised. These cases follow an earlier warning by HSA in November 2023, when three consumers were hospitalised for serious adverse reactions after using these medicines inappropriately.
All nine consumers, seven males and two females, had obtained modafinil and armodafinil from street peddlers in Geylang or from their friends, and consumed them without a doctor’s prescription and medical supervision. They were aged between 18 and 57 years old. Some of them shared that they had taken these products to improve alertness or boost energy. One had taken them as “supplements to boost energy and health”.
Six of them developed Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), a life-threatening skin condition characterised by blistering and severe peeling of the skin and mucous membranes. For example, a male consumer in his 40s developed painful blistering rashes and peeling of the skin, and also had severe oral ulcers that left him unable to eat and speak for a few days.
Three others suffered toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), a more severe form of SJS. They had serious skin reactions and developed painful blistering rashes and peeling of skin that spread across the entire body. One of them, a male consumer in his 20s, experienced life-threatening blistering of his skin covering 60% of his body, including his face, chest, arms, genitals, legs and the soles of his feet. Most of the consumers are recovering and there were no mortalities.
Modafinil and armodafinil are potent medicines that are not registered in Singapore but are available in some countries as prescription medicines for patients with specific medical conditions, such as narcolepsy (a condition that impairs the ability to sleep or stay awake), and have to be prescribed by doctors and used under strict medical supervision. This is important because modafinil and armodafinil can cause life-threatening serious skin reactions, such as SJS and TEN, other serious adverse effects such as heart problems, hypertension, and psychiatric conditions such as anxiety, hallucinations or mania. Additionally, modafinil and armodafinil carry a potential risk of dependency due to their stimulant effects on the brain.
Please refer to the following website in HSA for details:
http://www.hsa.gov.sg/announcements/press-release/hsa-alert-nine-consumers-hospitalised-modafinil
In Hong Kong, there is no registered pharmaceutical product containing modafinil or armodafinil. Related news was previously issued by HSA, and was posted on the Drug Office website since 7 Feb 2018, with the latest update on 16 Dec 2023.
Ends/Tuesday, Mar 11, 2025
Issued at HKT 16:30
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