The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new version of an anti-nausea medicine called ondansetron. This version is an injection that does not contain preservatives. It is approved to prevent nausea and vomiting in two main situations: for patients receiving cancer chemotherapy, including strong treatments, and for patients after an operation.
This medicine is for patients who cannot take a pill, so the injection gives doctors another way to provide it. For chemotherapy, it can be used in patients 6 months and older. For preventing nausea after surgery, it can be used in patients as young as 1 month old. The FDA notes that for surgery patients, doctors should not use it routinely for everyone, but should consider it when preventing nausea is very important.
The approval means this specific preservative-free injection is now officially available for doctors to use in these situations. It provides a trusted treatment option in a form that may be needed for certain patients in the hospital or clinic.
It is important to remember that this is a prescription medicine. The approval does not change the fact that all treatments have benefits and risks. Patients and caregivers with questions about this medicine or their treatment should talk to their doctor or healthcare team for information specific to their situation.