NEW YORK, May 4 (UPI) -- Connecticut officials say federal drug regulators have failed to warn patients a popular anti-cancer drug, Thalomid, can cause fatal blood clots.
A petition from Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal also accuses the Celgene Corp., the New Jersey maker of Thalomid, of frequently increasing its price, forcing some patients to find supplies overseas, where patient education protocols are non-existent, the New York Times reported Wednesday.
Although there is a risk of blood clots with Thalomid, it was found to be effective in treating multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells in bone marrow that affects 50,000 patients a year in the United States.
Since becoming a treatment for multiple myeloma, the drug's sales have soared and its price has grown five-fold, Blumenthal said.
His petition asks for explicit warnings on containers of Thalomid sold in the United States and a freeze on the price so consumers will stop going overseas for the drug.
