idiosyncratic drug reaction definition
idiosyncratic drug reaction means an abnormal susceptibility to some drug, which is peculiar to the individual. For a drug to be implicated as the cause of an idiosyncratic reaction, for practical purposes it must be recognised as causing such in the medical-scientific literature, as idiosyncratic drug reactions are not dose dependent or involve a consistent temporal relationship. The medical-scientific literature to be consulted should be adequately referenced and include computer databases such as Stat-Ref or standard pharmacology textbooks such The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics (1988-1996), Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (1998), Ellenhorn Medical Toxicology (1997), Handbook of Adverse Drug Interactions (1996), Physicians GenRx - The Complete Drug Reference (1996), Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy (16th ed. 1992), Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics (9th ed. 1996) and Martindale The Extra Pharmacopoeia (30th ed. 1993). The Australian Adverse Drug Reaction Advisory Committee is also another source of medical-scientific information;