Tegaserod is used to relieve pain, bloating, and constipation caused by irritable bowel syndrome (IBS; a condition that causes stomach pain, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea) in women whose main symptom is constipation. This medication is also used to increase the frequency of bowel movements and relieve bloating, straining, and stomach pain in women and men with chronic idiopathic constipation (constipation that is not due to other diseases or medications and that has been a problem for longer than 6 months). Tegaserod is in a class of medications called serotonin agonists. It works by improving muscle movement and increasing production of fluid in the bowels.
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Brand Names:
Source: National Institute of Health and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc.,“Tegaserod", The MedMaster™ Patient Drug Information Database, 2007, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a604007.html (23 May 2007)
Warnings:
As of 3/30/2007 the FDA notified healthcare professionals and patients that Novartis has agreed to discontinue marketing Zelnorm®, a drug used for the short-term treatment of women with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation and for patients younger than 65 years of age with chronic constipation. FDA analysis of safety data pooled from 29 clinical trials involving over 18,000 patients showed an excess number of serious cardiovascular adverse events, including angina, heart attacks, and stroke, in patients taking Zelnorm® compared to patients given placebo. Patients taking Zelnorm® should contact their healthcare professional to discuss treatment alternatives and seek emergency medical care if they experience severe chest pain, shortness of breath, sudden onset of weakness or difficulty walking or talking, or other symptoms of a heart attack or stroke.
Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, "Zelnorm (tegaserod maleate)", The FDA Saftey Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program, 2007, http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2007/safety07.htm (30 May 2007)
For more information on drugs recently recalled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), please go to: US FDA: Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts.
Zelnorm® is a registered trademark of Novartis AG