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Drug-induced liver injury is the leading cause of acute liver failure in the United States, accounting for at least half of cases. Some drugs directly damage the liver, while others cause damage indirectly or by an allergic reaction.
LiverTox has a searchable database of about 700 medications. Another 300 drugs will be added over the coming years. The database offers these features:
• An overview of drug-induced liver injury, including diagnostic criteria, the role of liver biopsy, descriptions of different clinical patterns and standard definitions.
• A detailed report of each drug, including background, case study, product package insert, chemical makeup and structure, dose recommendations and references with links.
• An interactive section, allowing users to report cases of drug-induced liver injury to the LiverTox website. Reports will be automatically forwarded to the FDA’s MedWatch program. MedWatch allows the public and healthcare professionals to report adverse events, product defects, or product use errors. The FDA uses the information to monitor product safety.
The database will be updated regularly with information about drug-induced liver injury as well as new drugs and new concepts.
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