Edetate disodium MedWatch alert
Executive Summary
FDA advising hospitals to evaluate need to keep Edetate Disodium stocked and consider removing it from shelves to avoid confusion with similarly named Edetate Calcium Disodium. Edetate Disodium is approved to treat patients with hypercalcemia or digitalis in the blood while Edetate Calcium Disodium is approved to treat severe lead poisoning, but both products are used off-label as chelators and use the same abbreviation. The agency issues a public health advisory for Hospira's Endrate and generics Jan. 18 because of several fatalities caused by confusion of the drug names...