MHRA Safety Roundup: October 2026

Summary

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) regulates medicines, medical devices and blood components for transfusion in the UK. This roundup provides a summary of their latest safety advice for medicines and medical device users. It includes details of medicine recalls, medical device field safety notices and details of how to report drug reactions and device incidents.

Content

This month's Safety Roundup includes:

• Drug Safety Update on Antidepressants: new safety measures for all patients to improve communication of the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours and persistent sexual dysfunction

• Drug Safety Update on IXCHIQ Chikungunya vaccine: UK marketing authorisation withdrawn following safety review 

• Device Safety Information on Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT): Consider delayed administration of concurrent echinocandins, such as caspofungin, to reduce the risk of adsorption onto new polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based filter membranes  

• Device Safety Information on Nova Biomedical StatStrip ketone test strips: risk of disruption to blood ketone testing due to quality-control failures and supply interruption 

• Drug Safety Update on #MedSafetyWeek (2 to 8 November 2026): Don't ignore suspected side effects, report them! Updates to the Yellow Card website and app

• Letters, medicines recalls and device notifications sent to healthcare professionals in October 2026 

• News and guidance on: 

  • Osimertinib: skeletal muscle toxicity 

  • Ioflupane: venlafaxine and other SNRIs may affect DAT scan interpretation

  • Publication of pneumococcal vaccine factsheet 

  • Ivacaftor, tezacaftor, elexacaftor (Kaftrio) in combination with ivacaftor (Kalydeco): reminder that information on the risk of serious liver injury was updated in 2025